SLEEPING  FIRES 


BY   MRS.  ATHERTON 
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SLEEPING    FIRES 


A  NOVEL 


BY 

GERTRUDE    ATHERTON 


NEW  YORK 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1922,  by 
GERTRUDE  ATHERTON 


All  rights  reserved,  including  that 
of  translation  into  foreign  languages 


Printed  in  the  United  Staffs  of  America 


SLEEPING  FIRES 


^  v«»  i  ty 


SLEEPING    FIRES 


was  no  Burlingame  in  the  Sixties, 
A  the  Western  Addition  was  a  desert  of 
sand  dunes  and  the  goats  gambolled  through 
the  rocky  gulches  of  Nob  Hill.  But  San 
Francisco  had  its  Rincon  Hill  and  South  Park, 
Howard  and  Fdsom  and  Harrison  Streets, 
coldly  aloof  from  the  tumultuous  hot  heart  of 
the  City  north  of  Market  Street. 

In  this  residence  section  the  sidewalks  were 
also  wooden  and  uneven  and  the  streets  muddy 
in  winter  and  dusty  in  summer,  but  the  houses, 
some  of  which  had  "come  round  the  Horn," 
were  large,  simple,  and  stately.  Those  on  the 
three  long  streets  had  deep  gardens  before 
them,  with  willow  trees  and  oaks  above  the 
flower  beds,  quaint  ugly  statues,  and  fountains 
that  were  sometimes  dry.  The  narrower 
houses  of  South  Park  crowded  one  another 
about  the  oval  enclosure  and  their  common 
garden  was  the  smaller  oval  of  green  and  roses. 


2  SLEEPING    FIRES 

On  Rincon  Hill  the  architecture  was  more 
varied  and  the  houses  that  covered  all  sides 
of  the  hill  were  surrounded  by  high-walled 
gardens  whose  heavy  bushes  of  Castilian 
roses  were  the  only  reminder  in  this  already 
modern  San  Francisco  of  the  Spain  that  had 
made  California  a  land  of  romance  for  nearly 
a  century  j  the  last  resting  place  on  this  planet 
of  the  Spirit  of  Arcadia  ere  she  vanished  into 
space  before  the  gold-seekers. 

On  far-flung  heights  beyond  the  business 
section  crowded  between  Market  and  Clay 
Streets  were  isolated  mansions,  built  by 
prescient  men  whose  belief  in  the  rapid  growth 
of  the  city  to  the  north  and  west  was  justified 
in  due  course,  but  which  sheltered  at  present 
amiable  and  sociable  ladies  who  lamented 
their  separation  by  vast  spaces  from  that  aris 
tocratic  quarter  of  the  south. 

But  they  had  their  carriages,  and  on  a  certain 
Sunday  afternoon  several  of  these  arks  drawn 
by  stout  horses  might  have  been  seen  crawling 
fearfully  down  the  steep  hills  or  floundering 
through  the  sand  until  they  reached  Market 
Street  j  when  the  coachmen  cracked  their  whips, 
the  horses  trotted  briskly,  and  shortly  after 
began  to  ascend  Rincon  Hill. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  3 

Mrs.  Hunt  McLane,  the  social  dictator  of 
her  little  world,  had  recently  moved  from 
South  Park  into  a  large  house  on  Rincon  Hill 
that  had  been  built  by  an  eminent  citizen  who 
had  lost  his  fortune  as  abruptly  as  he  had  made 
itj  and  this  was  her  housewarming.  It  was 
safe  to  say  that  her  rooms  would  be  crowded, 
and  not  merely  because  her  Sunday  receptions 
were  the  most  important  minor  functions  in 
San  Francisco:  it  was  possible  that  Dr.  Talbot 
and  his  bride  would  be  there.  And  if  he  were 
not  it  might  be  long  before  curiosity  would 
be  gratified  by  even  a  glance  at  the  stranger j 
the  doctor  detested  the  theatre  and  had  en 
gaged  a  suite  at  the  Occidental  Hotel  with  a 
private  dining-room. 

Several  weeks  before  a  solemn  conclave  had 
been  held  at  Mrs.  McLane's  house  in  South 
Park.  Mrs.  Abbott  was  there  and  Mrs.  Ballin- 
ger,  both  second  only  to  Mrs.  McLane  in  social 
leadership;  Mrs.  Montgomery,  Mrs.  Brannan, 
and  other  women  whose  power  was  rooted  in 
the  Fifties;  Maria  and  Sally  Ballinger, 
Marguerite  McLane,  and  Guadalupe  Hatha 
way,  whose  blue  large  talking  Spanish  eyes 
had  made  her  the  belle  of  many  seasons: 


4  SLEEPING    FIRES 

all  met  to  discuss  the  disquieting  news  of  the 
marriage  in  Boston  of  the  most  popular  and 
fashionable  doctor  in  San  Francisco,  Howard 
Talbot.  He  had  gone  East  for  a  vacation, 
and  soon  after  had  sent  them  a  bald  announce 
ment  of  his  marriage  to  one  Madelein^  Chil- 
ton  of  Boston. 

Many  high  hopes  had  centered  in  Dr. 
Talbot.  He  was  only  forty,  good-looking, 
with  exuberant  spirits,  and  well  on  the  road 
to  fortune.  He  had  been  surrounded  in  San 
Francisco  by  beautiful  and  vivacious  girls,  but 
had  always  proclaimed  himself  a  man's  man, 
avowed  he  had  seen  too  much  of  babies  and 
"blues,"  and  should  die  an  old  bachelor.  Be 
sides  he  loved  them  all;  when  he  did  not  damn 
them  roundly,  which  he  sometimes  did  to  their 
secret  delight. 

And  now  he  not  only  had  affronted  them  by 
marrying  some  one  he  probably  never  had  seen 
before,  but  he  had  taken  a  Northern  wife;  he 
had  not  even  had  the  grace  to  go  to  his  native 
South,  if  he  must  marry  an  outsider;  he  had 
gone  to  Boston — of  all  places! 

San  Francisco  Society  in  the  Sixties  was  com 
posed  almost  entirely  of  Southerners.  Even 


SLEEPING    FIRES  5 

before  the  war  it  had  been  difficult  for  a 
Northerner  to  obtain  entrance  to  that  sacrosanct 
circle ;  the  exceptions  were  due  to  sheer  person 
ality.  Southerners  were  aristocrats.  The  North 
was  plebeian.  That  was  final.  Since  the  war, 
Victorious  North  continued  to  admit  defeat  in 
California.  The  South  had  its  last  stronghold 
in  -San  Francisco,  and  held  it,  haughty,  uncon- 
quered,  inflexible. 

That  Dr.  Talbot,  who  ^as  on  a  family  foot 
ing  in  every  home  in  San  Francisco,  should 
have  placed  his  friends  in  such  a  delicate 
position  (to  say  nothing  of  shattered  hopes) 
was  voted  an  outrage,  and  at  Mrs.  McLane's 
on  that  former  Sunday  afternoon,  there  had 
been  no  pretence  at  indifference.  The  subject 
was  thoroughly  discussed.  It  was  possible  that 
the  creature  might  not  even  be  a  lady.  Had 
any  one  ever  heard  of  a  Boston  family  named 
Chilton?  No  one  had.  They  knew  nothing 
of  Boston  and  cared  less.  But  the  best  would 
be  bad  enough. 

It  was  mpre  likely  however  that  the  doctor 
had  married  some  obscure  person  with  nothing 
in  her  favor  but  youth,  or  a  widow  of  prac 
ticed  wiles,  or  —  horrid  thought  —  a  divorcee. 


6  SLEEPING    FIRES 

He  had  always  been  absurdly  liberal  in  spite 
of  his  blue  Southern  blood  j  and  a  man's  man 
wandering  alone  at  the  age  of  forty  was  al 
most  foredoomed  to  disaster.  No  doubt  the 
poor  man  had  been  homesick  and  lonesome. 

Should  they  receive  her  or  should  they  not? 
If  not,  would  they  lose  their  doctor.  He 
would  never  speak  to  one  of  them  again  if 
they  insulted  his  wife.  But  a  Bostonian,  a 
possible  nobody!  And  homely,  of  course. 
Angular.  Who  had  ever  heard  of  a  pretty 
woman  raised  on  beans,  codfish,  and  pie  for 
breakfast? 

Finally  Mrs.  McLane  had  announced  that 
she  should  not  make  up  her  mind  until  the 
couple  arrived  and  she  sat  in  judgment  upon 
the  woman  personally.  She  would  call  the 
day  after  they  docked  in  San  Francisco.  If, 
by  any  chance,  the  woman  were  presentable, 
dressed  herself  with  some  regard  to  the  fashion 
(which  was  more  than  Mrs.  Abbott  and  Guada- 
lupe  Hathaway  did),  and  had  sufficient  tact 
to  avoid  the  subject  of  the  war,  she  would  stand 
sponsor  and  invite  her  to  the  first  reception  in 
the  house  on  Rincon  Hill. 

"  But  if  not,"  she  said  grimly  —  "  well,  not 


SLEEPING    FIRES  7 

even  for  Howard  Talbot's  sake  will  I  receive 
a  woman  who  is  not  a  lady,  or  who  has  been  di 
vorced.  In  this  wild  city  we  are  a  class  apart, 
above.  No  loose  fish  enters  our  quiet  bay. 
Only  by  the  most  rigid  code  and  watchfulness 
have  we  formed  and  preserved  a  society  similar 
to  that  we  were  accustomed  to  in  the  old  South. 
If  we  lowered  our  barriers  we  should  be  sub 
merged.  If  Howard  Talbot  has  married  a 
woman  we  do  not  find  ourselves  able  to  associ 
ate  with  in  this  intimate  little  society  out  here 
on  the  edge  of  the  world,  he  will  have  to  go." 


II 


MRS.  McLANE  had  called  on  Mrs. 
Talbot.  That  was  known  to  all  San 
Francisco,  for  her  carriage  had  stood  in  front 
of  the  Occidental  Hotel  for  an  hour.  Kind 
friends  had  called  to  offer  their  services  in  set 
ting  the  new  house  in  order,  but  were  dismissed 
at  the  door  with  the  brief  announcement  that 
Mrs.  McLane  was  having  the  blues.  No  one 
wasted  time  on  a  second  effort  to  gossip  with 
their  leader;  it  was  known  that  just  so  often 
Mrs.  McLane  drew  down  the  blinds,  informed 
her  household  that  she  was  not  to  be  dis 
turbed,  disposed  herself  on  the  sofa  with  her 
back  to  the  room  and  indulged  in  the  luxury 
of  blues  for  three  days.  She  took  no  nourish 
ment  but  milk  and  broth  and  spoke  to  no  one. 
Today  this  would  be  a  rest  cure  and  was 
equally  beneficial.  When  the  attack  was  over 
Mrs.  McLane  would  arise  with  a  clear  com 
plexion,  serene  nerves,  and  renewed  strength 
for  social  duties.  Her  friends  knew  that  her 

8 


SLEEPING    FIRES  9 

retirement  on  this  occasion  was  timed  to  finish 
on  the  morning  of  her  reception  and  had  not 
the  least  misgiving  that  her  doors  would  still 
be  closed. 

The  great  double  parlors  of  her  new  mansion 
were  thrown  into  one  and  the  simple  furniture 
covered  with  gray  rep  was  pushed  against 
soft  gray  walls  hung  with  several  old  portraits 
in  oil,  ferrotypes  and  silhouettes.  A  mag 
nificent  crystal  chandelier  depended  from 
the  high  and  lightly  frescoed  ceiling  and 
there  were  side  brackets  beside  the  doors  and 
the  low  mantel  piece.  Mrs.  McLane  may 
not  have  been  able  to  achieve  beauty  with  the 
aid  of  the  San  Francisco  shops,  but  at  least  she 
had  managed  to  give  her  rooms  a  severe  and 
stately  simplicity,  vastly  different  from  the 
helpless  surrenders  of  her  friends  to  mid- 
victorian  deformities. 

The  rooms  filled  early.  Mrs.  McLane 
stood  before  the  north  windows  receiving  her 
friends  with  her  usual  brilliant  smile,  her  man 
ner  of  high  dignity  and  sweet  cordiality.  She 
was  a  majestic  figure  in  spite  of  her  short  stat 
ure  and  increasing  curves,  for  the  majesty  was 
within  and  her  head  above  a  flat  back  had  a 


io  SLEEPING    FIRES 

lofty  poise.  She  wore  her  prematurely  white 
hair  in  a  tall  pompadour,  and  this  with  the  rich 
velvets  she  affected,  ample  and  long,  made  her 
look  like  a  French  marquise  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  stepped  down  from  the  canvas.  The 
effect  was  by  no  means  accidental.  Mrs. 
McLane's  grandmother  had  been  French  and 
she  resembled  her. 

Her  hoopskirt  was  small,  but  the  other  wo 
men  were  inclined  to  the  extreme  of  the  fash 
ion  y  as  they  saw  it  in  the  Godey's  Lady's  Book 
they  or  their  dressmakers  subscribed  to.  Their 
handsome  gowns  spread  widely  and  the  rooms 
hardly  could  have  seemed  to  sway  and  undu 
late  more  if  an  earthquake  had  rocked  it.  The 
older  women  wore  small  bonnets  and  cashmere 
shawls,  lace  collars  and  cameos,  the  younger 
fichus  and  small  flat  hats  above  their  "water 
falls"  or  curled  chignons.  The  husbands  had 
retired  with  Mr.  McLane  to  the  smoking  room, 
but  there  were  many  beaux  present,  equally 
expectant  when  not  too  absorbed. 

Unlike  as  a  reception  of  that  day  was  in 
background  and  costumes  from  the  refinements 
of  modern  art  and  taste,  it  possessed  one  con 
trast  that  was  wholly  to  its  advantage.  Its  men 


M.FJ2PING    FIRES  n 

were  gentlemen  and  the  sons  and  grandsons  of 
gentlemen.  To  no  one  city  has  there  ever  been 
such  an  emigration  of  men  of  good  family  as 
to  San  Francisco  in  the  Fifties  and  Sixties. 
Ambitious  to  push  ahead  in  politics  or  the  pro 
fessions  and  appreciating  the  immediate  oppor 
tunities  of  the  new  and  famous  city,  or  left 
with  an  insufficient  inheritance  (particularly 
after  the  war)  and  ashamed  to  work  in  com 
munities  where  no  gentleman  had  ever  worked, 
they  had  set  sail  with  a  few  hundreds  to  a  land 
where  a  man,  if  he  did  not  occupy  himself 
lucratively,  was  unfit  for  the  society  of  enter 
prising  citizens. 

Few  had  come  in  time  for  the  gold  diggingl, 
but  all,  unless  they  had  disappeared  into  the 
hot  insatiable  maw  of  the  wicked  little  city, 
had  succeeded  in  one  field  or  another;  and 
these,  in  their  dandified  clothes,  made  a  fine 
appearance  at  fashionable  gatherings.  If 
they  took  up  less  room  than  the  women  they 
certainly  were  more  decorative. 

Dr.  TaJbot  and  his  wife  had  not  arrived. 
To  all  eager  questions  Mrs.  McLane  merely 
replied  that  "they"  would  "be  here."  She 
had  the  dramatic  instinct  of  the  true  leader  and 


12  SLEEPING    FIRES 

had  commanded  the  doctor  not  to  bring  his 
bride  before  four  o'clock.  The  reception  be 
gan  at  three.  They  should  have  an  entrance. 
But  Mrs.  Abbott,  a  lady  of  three  chins  and  an 
eagle  eye,  who  had  clung  for  twenty-five  years 
to  black  satin  and  bugles,  was  too  persistent 
to  be  denied.  She  extracted  the  information 
that  the  Bostonian  had  sent  her  own  furniture 
by  a  previous  steamer  and  that  her  drawing 
room  was  graceful,  French,  and  exquisite. 

At  ten  minutes  after  the  hour  the  buzz  and 
chatter  stopped  abruptly  and  every  face  was 
turned,  every  neck  craned  toward  the  door. 
The  colored  butler  had  announced  with  a 
grand  flourish: 

"Dr.  and  Mrs.  Talbot." 

The  doctor  looked  as  rubicund,  as  jovial, 
as  cynical  as  ever.  But  few  cast  him  more  than 
a  passing  glance.  Then  they  gave  an  audible 
gasp,  induced  by  an  ingenuous  compound  of 
amazement,  disappointment,  and  admiration. 
They  had  been  prepared  to  forgive,  totendure, 
to  make  every  allowance.  The  poor  thing 
could  no  more  help  being  plain  and  dowdy 
than  born  in  Boston,  and  as  their  leader  had 
satisfied  herself  that  she  "would  do,"  they 


SLEEPING    FIRES  13 

would  never  lot  her  know  how  deeply  they  de 
plored  her  disabilities. 

But  they  found  nothing  to  deplore  but  the 
agonizing   necessity    for   immediate    readjust 
ment.      Mrs.    Talbot    was    unquestionably    a 
product  of  the  best  society.     The  South  could 
have  done  no  better.    She  was  tall  and  supple 
and  self-possessed.    She  was  exquisitely  dressed 
in   dark   blue   velvet   with   a   high  collar   of 
point  lace  tapering  almost  to  her  bust,  and  re 
vealing  a  long  white  throat  clasped  at  the  base 
by  a  string  of  pearls.    On  her  head,  as  proudly 
poised  as  Mrs.  McLane's,  was  a  blue  velvet 
hat,  higher  in  the  crown  than  the  prevailing 
fashion,  rolled  up  on  one  side  and  trimmed 
only  with  a  drooping  gray  feather.     And  her 
figure, -her  face,  her  profile!     The  young  men 
crowded  forward  more  swiftly  than  the  still 
almost  paralyzed  women.     She  was  no  more 
than  twenty.    Her  skin  was  as  white  as  the  San 
Francisco  fogs,  her  lips  were  scarlet,  her  checks 
f'mk,  her  hair  and  eyes  a  bright  golden  brown. 
Her  features  were  delicate  and  regular,  the 
mouth  not  too  small,  curved  and  sensitive j 
her    refinement    was    almost    excessive.      Oh, 
she  was  "high-toned,"  no  doubt  of  that! 


H  SLEEPING    FIRES 

As  she  moved  forward  and  stood  in  front  of 
Mrs.  McLane,  or  acknowledged  introductions 
to  those  that  stood  near,  the  women  gave  an 
other  gasp,  this  time  of  consternation.  She 
wore  neither  hoop-skirt  nor  crinoline.  Could  it 
be  that  the  most  elegant  fashion  ever  invented 
had  been  discarded  by  Paris?  Or  was  this 
lovely  creature  of  surpassing  elegance,  a  law 
unto  herself? 

Her  skirt  was  full  but  straight  and  did  not 
disguise  the  lines  of  her  graceful  figure;  above 
her  small  waist  it  fitted  as  closely  as  a  riding 
habit.  She  was  even  more  becomingly  dressed 
than  any  woman  in  the  room.  Mrs.  Abbott, 
who  was  given  to  primitive  sounds,  snorted. 
Maria  Ballinger,  whose  finely  developed  fig 
ure  might  as  well  have  been  the  trunk  of  a  tree, 
sniffed.  Her  sister  Sally  almost  danced  with 
excitement,  and  even  Miss  Hathaway  straight 
ened  her  fichu.  Mrs.  Ballinger,  who  had  been 
the  belle  of  Richmond  and  was  still  adjudged 
the  handsomest  woman  in  San  Francisco,  lifted 
the  eyebrows  to  which  sonnets  had  been  written 
with  an  air  of  haughty  resignation;  but  made 
up  her  mind  to  abate  her  scorn  of  the  North 
and  order  her  gowns  from  New  York 
hereafter. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  15 

But  the  San  Franciscans  on  the  whole  were 
an  amiable  people  and  they  were  sometimes 
conscious  of  their  isolation  j  in  a  few  moments 
they  felt  a  pleasant  titillation  of  the  nerves, 
as  if  the  great  world  they  might  never  see 
again  had  sent  them  one  of  her  most  precious 
gifts. 

They  all  met  her  in  the  course  of  the 
afternoon.  She  was  sweet  and  gracious, 
but  although  there  was  not  a  hint  of  embar 
rassment  she  made  no  attempt  to  shine,  and 
they  liked  her  the  better  for  that.  The  young 
men  soon  discovered  they  could  make  no  im 
pression  on  this  lovely  importation,  for  her  eyes 
strayed  constantly  to  her  husband  j  until  he 
disappeared  in  search  of  cronies,  whiskey,  and  a 
cigar:  then  she  looked  depressed  for  a  moment, 
but  gave  a  still  closer  attention  to  the  women 
about  her. 

In  love  with  her  husband  but  a  woman-of- 
the-world.  Manners  as  fine  as  Mrs.  McLane's, 
but  too  aloof  and  sensitive  to  care  for  leader 
ship.  She  had  made  the  grand  tour  in  Europe, 
they  discovered,  and  enjoyed  a  season  in  Wash 
ington.  She  should  continue  to  live  at  the 
Occidental  Hotel  as  her  husband  would  be  out 


16  SLEEPING    FIRES 

so  much  at  night  and  she  was  rather  timid. 
And  she  was  bright,  unaffected,  responsive. 
Could  anything  be  more  reassuring?  There 
was  nothing  to  be  apprehended  by  the  socially 
ambitious,  the  proud  housewives,  or  those  pru 
dent  dames  whose  amours  were  conducted  with 
such  secrecy  that  they  might  too  easily  be  sup 
planted  by  a  predatory  coquette.  The  girls 
drew  little  unconscious  sighs  of  relief.  Sally 
Ballinger  vowed  she  would  become  her  inti 
mate  friend,  Sibyl  Geary  that  she  would  copy 
her  gowns.  Mrs.  Abbott  succumbed.  In  short 
they  all  took  her  to  their  hearts.  She  was  one 
of  them  from  that  time  forth  and  the  reign  of 
crinoline  was  over. 


Ill 


THE  TALBOTS  remained  to  supper  and 
arrived  at  the  Occidental  Hotel  at  the 
dissipated  hour  of  half  past  nine.  As  they  en 
tered  their  suite  the  bride  took  her  sweeping 
skirts  in  either  hand  and  executed  a  pas  seul 
down  the  long  parlor. 

"I  was  a  success!"  she  cried.  "You  were 
proud  of  me.  I  could  see  it.  And  even  at  the 
table,  although  I  talked  nearly  all  the  time  to 
Mr.  McLane,  I  never  mentioned  a  book." 

She  danced  over  and  threw  her  arms  about 
his  neck.  "Say  you  were  proud  of  me.  Pd 
love  to  hear  it." 

He  gave  her  a  bear-like  hug.  "Of  course. 
You  are  the  prettiest  and  the  most  animated  wo 
man  in  San  Francisco,  and  that's  saying  a  good 
deal.  And  I've  given  them  all  a  mighty  sur 
prise." 

"I  believe  that  is  the  longest  compliment 
you  ever  paid  me — and  because  I  made  a  good 
impression  on  some  one  else.  What  irony ! " 


1 8  SLEEPING    FIRES 

She  pouted  charmingly,  but  her  eyes  were 
wistful.  "  Now  sit  down  and  talk  to  me.  I've 
scarcely  seen  you  since  we  arrived." 

"Oh!  Remember  you  are  married  to  this  old 
ruffian.  You'll  see  enough  of  me  in  the  next 
thirty  or  forty  years.  Run  to  bed  and  get  your 
beauty  sleep.  I  promised  to  go  to  the  Union 
Club." 

"The  Club?  You  went  to  the  Club  last  night 
and  the  night  before  and  the  night  before  that. 
Every  night  since  we  arrived — " 

"I  haven't  seen  half  my  old  cronies  yet  and 
they  are  waiting  for  a  good  old  poker  game. 
Sleep  is  what  you  want  after  such  an  exciting 
day.  Remember,  I  doctor  the  nerves  of  all  the 
women  in  San  Francisco  and  this  is  a  hard 
climate  on  nerves.  Wonder  more  women 
don't  go  to  the  devil." 

He  kissed  her  again  and  escaped  hurriedly. 
Those  were  the  days  when  women  wept  fac- 
ilely,  "swooned,"  inhaled  hartshorn,  calmed 
themselves  with  sal  volatile,  and  even  went 
into  hysterics  upon  slight  provocation.  Made 
leine  Talbot  merely  wept.  She  believed  her 
self  to  be  profoundly  in  love  with  her  jovial 
magnetic  if  rather  rough  husband.  He  was  so 


SLEEPING    FIRES  19 

different  from  the  correct  reserved  men  she 
had  been  associated  with  during  her  anchored 
life  in  Boston.  In  Washington  she  had  met 
only  the  staid  old  families,  and  senators  of  a 
benignant  formality.  In  Europe  she  had  run 
across  no  one  she  knew  who  might  have  intro 
duced  her  to  interesting  foreigners,  and  Mrs. 
Chilton  would  as  willingly  have  caressed  a 
tiger  as  spoken  to  a  stranger  no  matter  how  pre 
possessing.  Howard  Talbot,  whom  she  had 
met  at  the  house  of  a  common  friend,  had  taken 
her  by  storm.  Her  family  had  disapproved, 
not  only  because  he  was  by  birth  a  Southerner, 
but  for  the  same  reason  that  had  attracted  their 
Madeleine.  He  was  entirely  too  different. 
Moreover,  he  would  take  her  to  a  barbarous 
country  where  there  was  no  Society  and  people 
dared  not  venture  into  the  streets  lest  they  be 
shot.  But  she  had  overruled  them  and  been 
very  happy — at  times.  He  was  charming  and 
adorable  and  it  was  manifest  that  for  him  no 
other  woman  existed. 

But  she  could  not  flatter  herself  that  she  was 
indispensable.  He  openly  preferred  the  so 
ciety  of  men,  and  during  that  interminable  sea 
voyage  she  had  seen  little  of  him  save  at  the 


20  SLEEPING    FIRES 

table  or  when  he  came  to  their  stateroom  late  at 
night.  For  her  mind  he  appeared  to  have  a 
good-natured  masculine  contempt.  He  talked 
to  her  as  he  would  to  a  fascinating  little  girl. 
If  he  cared  for  mental  recreation  he  found  it 
in  men. 

She  went  into  her  bedroom  and  bathed  her 
eyes  with  eau  de  cologne.  At  least  he  had 
given  her  no  cause  for  jealousy.  That  was  one 
compensation.  And  a  wise  married  friend  had 
told  her  that  the  only  way  to  manage  a  husband 
was  to  give  him  his  head  and  never  to  indulge 
in  the  luxury  of  reproaches.  She  was  sorry  she 
had  forgotten  herself  tonight. 


IV 


DR.  TALBOT  had  confided  to  Mrs.  Mc- 
Lane  that  his  wife  was  inclined  to  be  a  has 
bleu  and  he  wanted  her  broken  of  an  unfemi- 
nine  love  of  books.  Mrs.  McLane,  who  knew 
that  a  reputation  for  bookishness  would  be  fatal 
in  a  community  that  regarded  "  Lucile  "  as  a 
great  poem  and  read  little  but  the  few  novels 
that  drifted  their  way  (or  the  continued  stories 
in  Godey's  Lady's  Book),  promised  him  that 
Madeleine's  intellectual  aspirations  should  be 
submerged  in  the  social  gaieties  of  the  season. 

She  kept  her  word.  Dinners,  receptions, 
luncheons,  theatre  parties,  in  honor  of  the  bride, 
followed  in  rapid  succession,  and  when  all  had 
entertained  her,  the  less  personal  invitations 
followed  as  rapidly.  Her  popularity  was  not 
founded  on  novelty. 

No  girl  in  her  first  season  had  ever  enjoyed 
herself  more  naively  and  she  brought  to  every 
entertainment  eager  sparkling  eyes  and  danc 
ing  feet  that  never  tired.  She  became  the 
"reigning  toast."  At  parties  she  was  sur- 


22  SLEEPING    FIRES 

rounded  by  a  bevy  of  admirers  or  forced  to 
divide  her  dances  j  for  it  was  soon  patent  there 
was  no  jealousy  in  Talbot's  composition  and 
that  he  took  an  equally  naive  pride  in  his  wife's 
success.  When  alone  with  women  she  was 
quite  as  animated  and  interested,  and,  more 
over,  invited  them  to  copy  her  gowns.  Some 
had  been  made  in  Paris,  others  in  New  York. 
The  local  dressmakers  felt  the  stirrings  of  am 
bition,  and  the  shops  sent  for  a  more  varied  as 
sortment  of  fabrics. 

Madeleine  Talbot  at  this  time  was  very 
happy,  or,  at  least,  too  busy  to  recall  her  earlier 
dreams  of  happiness.  The  whole-hearted  de 
votion  to  gaiety  of  this  stranded  little  commun 
ity,  its  elegance,  despite  its  limitations,  its  un 
bounded  hospitality  to  all  within  its  guarded 
portals,  its  very  absence  of  intellectual  criti 
cism,  made  the  formal  life  of  her  brief  past  ap 
pear  dull  and  drab  in  the  retrospect.  The 
spirit  of  Puritanism  seemed  to  have  lost  heart 
in  those  trackless  wastes  between  the  Atlantic 
and  the  Pacific  and  turned  back.  True,  the 
moral  code  was  rigid  (on  the  surface);  but  far 
from  too  much  enjoyment  of  life,  of  quaffing 
eagerly  at  the  brimming  cup,  being  sinful,  they 


SLEEPING    FIRES  23 

would  have  held  it  to  be  a  far  greater  sin  not  to 
have  accepted  all  that  the  genius  of  San  Fran 
cisco  so  lavishly  provided. 

Wildness  and  recklessness  were  in  the  air, 
the  night  life  of  San  Francisco  was  probably 
the  maddest  in  the  world  j  nor  did  the  gambling 
houses  close  their  doors  by  day,  nor  the  women 
of  Dupont  Street  cease  from  leering  through 
their  shuttered  windows j  a  city  born  in  de 
lirium  and  nourished  on  crime,  whose  very  at 
mosphere  was  electrified  and  whose  very 
foundations  were  restless,  would  take  a  quarter 
of  a  century  at  least  to  manufacture  a  decent 
thick  surface  of  conventionality,  and  its  self- 
conscious  respectable  wing  could  no  more  escape 
its  spirit  than  its  fogs  and  winds.  But  evil  ex 
citement  was  tempered  to  irresponsible  gaiety, 
a  constant  whirl  of  innocent  pleasures.  When 
the  spirit  passed  the  portals  untempered,  and 
drove  women  too  highly-strung,  too  unhappy, 
or  too  easily  bored,  to  the  divorce  courts,  to 
drink,  or  to  reckless  adventure,  they  were  sum 
marily  dropped.  No  woman,  however  guilt 
less,  could  divorce  her  husband  and  remain  a 
member  of  that  vigilant  court.  It  was  all  or 
nothing.  If  a  married  woman  were  clever 


24  SLEEPING    FIRES 

enough  to  take  a  lover  undetected  and  merely 
furnish  interesting  surmise,  there  was  no  at 
tempt  to  ferret  out  and  punish  her;  for  no  so 
ciety  can  exist  without  gossip. 

But  none  centered  about  Madeleine  Talbot. 
Her  little  coquetries  were  impartial  and  her  de 
votion  to  her  husband  was  patent  to  the  most 
infatuated  eye.  Life  was  made  very  pleasant 
for  her.  Howard,  during  that  first  winter, 
accompanied  her  to  all  the  dinners  and  parties, 
and  she  gave  several  entertainments  in  her  large 
suite  at  the  Occidental  Hotel.  Sally  Ballinger 
was  a  lively  companion  for  the  mornings  and 
was  as  devoted  a  friend  as  youth  could  de 
mand.  Mrs.  Abbott  petted  her,  and  Mrs. 
Ballinger  forgot  that  she  had  been  born  in 
Boston. 

When  it  was  discovered  that  she  had  a  sweet 
lyric  soprano,  charmingly  cultivated,  her  pop 
ularity  winged  another  flight j  San  Francisco 
from  its  earliest  days  was  musical,  and  she  made 
a  brilliant  success  as  La  Belle  Helene  in  the 
amateur  light  opera  company  organized  by 
Mrs.  McLane.  It  was  rarely  that  she  spent 
an  evening  alone,  and  the  cases  of  books  she 
had  brought  from  Boston  remained  in  the  cel 
lars  of  the  Hotel. 


SOCIETY  went  to  the  country  to  escape  the 
screaming  winds  and  dust  clouds  of  sum 
mer.  A  few  had  built  country  houses,  the  rest 
found  abundant  amusement  at  the  hotels  of 
The  Geysers,  Warm  Springs  and  Congress 
Springs,  taking  the  waters  dutifully. 

As  the  city  was  constantly  swept  by  epidemics 
Dr.  Talbot  rarely  left  his  post  for  even  a  few 
days'  shooting,  and  Madeleine  remained  with 
him  as  a  matter  of  course.  Moreover,  she 
hoped  for  occasional  long  evenings  with  her 
husband  and  the  opportunity  to  convince  him 
that  her  companionship  was  more  satisfying 
than  that  of  his  friends  at  the  Club.  She  had 
not  renounced  the  design  of  gradually  con 
verting  him  to  her  own  love  of  literature,  and 
pictured  delightful  hours  during  which  they 
would  discuss  the  world's  masterpieces  to 
gether. 

But  he  merely  hooted  amiably  and  pinched 
her  cheeks  when  she  approached  the  subject 

25 


26  SLEEPING    FIRES 

tentatively.  He  was  infernally  over-worked 
and  unless  he  had  a  few  hours'  relaxation  at 
the  Club  he  would  be  unfit  for  duty  on  the  mor 
row.  She  was  his  heart's  delight,  the  prettiest 
wife  in  San  Francisco;  he  worked  the  better 
because  she  was  always  lovely  at  the  breakfast 
table  and  he  could  look  forward  to  a  brief  din 
ner  in  her  always  radiant  company.  Thank 
God,  she  never  had  the  blues  nor  carried  a 
bottle  of  smelling  salts  about  with  her.  And 
she  hadn't  a  nerve  in  her  body!  God!  How 
he  did  hate  women's  nerves.  No,  she  was  a 
model  wife  and  he  adored  her  unceasingly. 
But  companionship?  When  she  timidly  uttered 
the  word,  he  first  stared  uncomprehendingly, 
then  burst  into  loud  laughter. 

"Men  don't  find  companionship  in  women, 
my  dear.  If  they  pretend  to  they're  after 
something  else.  Take  the  word  of  an  old  stager 
for  that.  Of  course  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
companionship  among  women  as  men  under 
stand  the  term,  but  you  have  Society,  which  is 
really  all  you  want.  Yearnings  are  merely  a 
symptom  of  those  accursed  nerves.  For  God's 
sake  forget  them.  Flirt  all  you  choose — there 
are  plenty  of  men  in  town;  have  them  in  for 


SLEEPING    FIRES  27 

dinner  if  you  like — but  if  any  of  those  young 
bucks  talks  companionship  to  you  put  up  your 
guard  or  come  and  tell  me.  I'll  settle  his 
hash." 

"I  don't  want  the  companionship  of  any 
other  man,  but  I'd  like  yours." 

"You  don't  know  how  lucky  you  are.  You 
have  all  of  me  you  could  stand.  Three  or  four 
long  evenings — well,  we'd  yawn  in  each  other's 
faces  and  go  to  bed.  A  bull  but  true  enough." 

"Then  I  think  I'll  have  the  books  unpacked, 
not  only  those  I  brought,  but  the  new  case  papa 
sent  to  me.  I  have  lost  the  resource  of  Society 
for  several  months,  and  I  do  not  care  to  have 
men  here  after  you  have  gone.  That  would 
mean  gossip." 

"You  are  above  gossip  and  I  prefer  the  men 
to  the  books.  You'll  ruin  your  pretty  eyes, 
and  you  had  the  makings  of  a  fine  bluestocking 
when  I  rescued  you.  A  successful  woman  — 
with  her  husband  and  with  Society  —  has  only 
sparkling  shallows  in  her  pretty  little  head. 
Now,  I  must  run.  I  really  shouldn't  have 
come  all  the  way  up  here  for  lunch." 

Madeleine  wandered  aimlessly  to  the  win 
dow  and  looked  down  at  the  scurrying  throngs 


28  SLEEPING    FIRES 

on  Montgomery  Street.  There  were  few  wo 
men.  The  men  bent  against  the  wind,  clutch 
ing  at  their  hats,  or  chasing  them  along  the  un 
even  wooden  sidewalks,  tripping  perhaps  on  a 
loose  board.  There  were  tiny  whirlwinds  of 
dust  in  the  unpaved  streets.  The  bustling  little 
city  that  Madeleine  had  thought  so  picturesque 
in  its  novelty  suddenly  lost  its  glamour.  It 
looked  as  if  parts  of  it  had  been  flung  together 
in  a  night  between  solid  blocks  imported  from 
the  older  communities ;  so  furious  was  the  desire 
to  achieve  immediate  wealth  there  were 
only  three  or  four  buildings  of  architectural 
beauty  in  the  city.  The  shop  windows  on 
Montgomery  Street  were  attractive  with  the 
wares  of  Paris,  but  Madeleine  coveted  nothing 
in  San  Francisco. 

She  thought  of  Boston,  New  York,  Wash 
ington,  Europe,  and  for  a  moment  nostalgia 
overwhelmed  her.  If  Howard  would  only 
take  her  home  for  a  visit!  Alas!  he  was  as 
little  likely  to  do  that  as  to  give  her  the 
companionship  she  craved. 

But  she  had  no  intention  of  taking  refuge  in 
tears.  Nor  would  she  stay  at  home  and  mope. 
Her  friends  were  out  of  town.  She  made  up 


SLEEPING    FIRES  29 

her  mind  to  go  for  a  walk,  although  she  hardly 
knew  where  to  go.  Between  mud  and  dust 
and  hills,  walking  was  not  popular  in  San  Fran 
cisco.  However,  there  might  be  some  excite 
ment  in  exploring. 

She  looped  her  brown  cloth  skirt  over  her 
balmoral  petticoat,  tied  a  veil  round  her  small 
hat  and  set  forth.  Although  the  dust  was  fly 
ing  she  dared  not  lower  her  veil  until  she 
reached  the  environs,  knowing  that  if  she  did 
she  would  be  followed;  or  if  recognized, 
accused  of  the  unpardonable  sin.  The  heavy 
veil  in  the  San  Francisco  of  that  day,  save  when 
driving  in  aggressively  respectable  company, 
was  almost  an  interchangeable  term  for  assig 
nation.  It  was  as  inconvenient  for  the  vir 
tuous  as  indiscreet  for  the  carnal. 

Madeleine  reached  the  streets  of  straggling 
homes  and  those  long  impersonal  rows  depress 
ing  in  their  middle-class  respectability,  and 
lowered  the  veil  over  her  smarting  eyes. 
She  also  squared  her  shoulders  and  strode 
along  with  an  independent  swing  that  must 
convince  the  most  investigating  mind  she  was 
walking  for  exercise  only. 

Almost  unconsciously  she  directed  her  steps 


30  SLEEPING    FIRES 

toward  the  Cliff  House  Road  where  she  had 
driven  occasionally  behind  the  doctor's  spanking 
team.  It  was  four  o'clock  when  she  entered 
it  and  the  wind  had  fallen.  The  road  was 
thronged  with  buggies,  tandems,  hacks,  phae 
tons,  and  four-in-hands.  Society  might  be 
out  of  town  but  the  still  gayer  world  was  not. 
Madeleine,  skirting  the  edge  of  the  road  to 
avoid  disaster  stared  eagerly  behind  her  veil. 
Here  were  the  reckless  and  brilliant  women  of 
the  demi-monde  of  whom  she  had  heard  so 
much,  but  to  whom  she  had  barely  thrown  a 
glance  when  driving  with  her  husband.  They 
were  painted  and  dyed  and  kohled  and  their 
plumage  would  have  excited  the  envy  of  birds 
in  Paradise.  San  Francisco  had  lured  these 
ladies  "  round  the  Horn  "  since  the  early  Fif 
ties:  a  different  breed  from  the  camp  followers 
of  the  late  Forties.  Some  had  fallen  from  a 
a  high  estate,  others  had  been  the  mistresses  of 
rich  men  in  the  East,  or  belles  in  the  half  world 
of  New  York  or  Paris.  Never  had  they  found 
life  so  free  or  pickings  so  easy  as  in  San  Fran 
cisco. 

Madeleine  knew  that  many  of  the  eminent 
citizens  she  met  in  Society  kept  their  mistresses 


SLEEPING    FIRES  31 

and  flaunted  them  openly.  It  was,  in  fact, 
almost  a  convention.  She  was  not  surprised  to 
see  several  men  who  had  taken  her  in  to  dinner 
tooling  these  gorgeous  cyprians  and  looking 
far  prouder  than  when  they  played  host  in  the 
world  of  fashion.  On  one  of  the  gayest  of  the 
coaches  she  saw  four  of  the  young  men  who 
were  among  the  most  devoted  of  her  cavaliers 
at  dances:  Alexander  Groome,  Amos  Lawton, 
Ogden  Bascom,  and  "Tom"  Abbott,  Jr. 
Groome  was  paying  his  addresses  to  Maria 
Ballinger,  "  a  fine  figure  of  a  girl  "  who  had 
inherited  little  of  her  mother's  beauty  but 
all  of  her  virtue,  and  Madeleine  won 
dered  if  he  would  reform  and  settle  down. 
Abbott  was  engaged  to  Marguerite  McLane 
and  looked  as  if  he  were  having  his  last 
glad  fling.  Ogden  Bascom  had  proposed 
to  Guadalupe  Hathaway  every  month  for 
five  years.  It  was  safe  to  say  that  he 
would  toe  the  mark  if  he  won  her.  But  he  did 
not  appear  to  be  nursing  a  blighted  heart  at 
present. 

Madeleine's  depression  left  her.  That,  at 
least,  Howard  would  never  do.  She  felt  full 
of  hope  and  buoyancy  once  more,  not  realizing 


32  SLEEPING    FIRES 

that  it  is  easier  to  win  back  a  lover  than  change 
the  nature  of  man. 

When  Madeleine  reached  the  Cliff  House, 
that  shabby  innocent-looking  little  building 
whose  evil  fame  had  run  round  the  world,  she 
stared  at  it  fascinated.  Its  restaurant  over 
hung  the  sea.  On  this  side  the  blinds  were 
down.  It  looked  as  if  awaiting  the  undertaker. 
She  pictured  Howard's  horror  when  she  told 
him  of  her  close  contact  with  vice,  and  antici 
pated  with  a  pleasurable  thrill  the  scolding  he 
would  give  her.  They  had  never  quarrelled 
and  it  would  be  delightful  to  make  up.  % 

"  Not  Mrs.  Talbot!     No!     Assuredly  not!  " 

Involuntarily  Madeleine  raised  her  veil.  She 
recognized  the  voice  of  "  Old  "  Ben  Travers 
(he  was  only  fifty  but  bald  and  yellow),  the 
Union  Club  gossip,  and  the  one  man  in  San 
Francisco  she  thoroughly  disliked.  He  stood 
with  his  hat  in  his  hand ,  an  expression  of 
ludicrous  astonishment  on  his  face. 

"  Yes,  it  is  I,"  said  Madeleine  coolly.  "  And 
I  am  very  much  interested." 

"Ah?  Interested?"  He  glanced  about. 
If  this  were  an  assignation  either  the  man  was 
late  or  had  lost  courage.  But  he  assumed  an 


SLEEPING    FIRES  33 

expression  of  deep  respect.  "  That  I  can  well 
imagine,  cloistered  as  you  are.  But,  if  you  will 
permit  me  to  say  so,  it  is  hardly  prudent. 
Surely  you  know  that  this  is  a  place  of  ill  repute 
and  that  your  motives,  however  innocent, 
might  easily  be  misconstrued." 

"  I  am  alone!  "  said  Madeleine  gaily,  "and 
my  veil  is  up!  Not  a  man  has  glanced  at  me, 
I  look  so  tiresomely  respectable  in  these  stout 
walking  clothes.  Even  you,  dear  Mr.  Travers, 
whom  we  accuse  of  being  quite  a  gossip,  under 
stand  perfectly." 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed.  I  do  understand.  And 
Mrs.  Talbot  is  like  Caesar's  wife,  but  never 
theless  —  there  is  a  hack.  It  is  waiting,  but  I 
think  I  can  bribe  him  to  take  us  in.  You  really 
must  not  remain  here  another  moment  —  and 
you  surely  do  not  intend  to  walk  back  —  six 
miles?  " 

"  No,  I'll  be  glad  to  drive  —  but  if  you  will 
engage  the  hack  —  I  shouldn't  think  of  bother 
ing  you  further." 

"  I  shall  take  you  home,"  said  Travers 
firmly.  "  Howard  never  would  forgive  me  if 
I  did  not  —  that  is  —  that  is  — " 

Madeleine  laughed  merrily.     "  If  I  intend 


34  SLEEPING    FIRES 

to  tell  him!  But  of  course  I  shall  tell  him. 
Why  not?  " 

"  Well,  yes,  it  would  be  best.  I'll  speak  to 
the  man." 

The  Jehu  was  reluctant,  but  a  bill  passed  and 
he  drove  up  to  Madeleine.  "  Guess  I  can  do 
it,"  he  said,  "  but  I'll  have  to  drive  pretty  fast." 

Madeleine  smiled  at  him  and  he  touched  his 
hat.  She  had  employed  him  more  than  once. 
"  The  faster  the  better,  Thomas,"  she  said. 
"  I  walked  out  and  am  tired." 

"  I  saw  you  come  striding  down  the  road, 
ma'am,"  he  said  deferentially,  "  and  I  knew 
you  got  off  your  own  beat  by  mistake.  I  think 
I'd  have  screwed  up  my  courage  and  said  some 
thing  if  Mr.  Travers  hadn't  happened  along." 

Madeleine  nodded  carelessly  and  entered 
the  hack,  followed  by  Travers,  in  spite  of  her 
protests. 

"I  too  walked  out  here  and  intended  to  ask 
some  one  to  give  me  a  lift  home.  I  am  the  un 
fortunate  possessor  of  a  liver,  my  dear  young 
lady,  and  must  walk  six  miles  a  day,  although 
I  loathe  walking  as  I  loathe  drinking  weak 
whiskey  and  water." 

Madeleine  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  at- 


SLEEPING    FIRES  35 

tempted  to  raise  one  of  the  curtains.  The 
interior  was  as  dark  as  a  cave.  But  Travers 
exclaimed  in  alarm. 

"  No!  No!  Not  until  we  get  out  of  this. 
When  we  have  reached  the  city,  but  not  here. 
In  a  hack  on  this  road  —  " 

"  Oh,  very  well.  Then  entertain  me,  please, 
as  I  cannot  look  out.  You  always  have  some 
thing  interesting  to  tell." 

"  I  am  flattered  to  think  you  find  me  enter 
taining.  I've  sometimes  thought  you  didn't 
like  me." 

"  Now  you  know  that  is  nonsense.  I  always 
think  myself  fortunate  if  I  sit  next  you  at  din 
ner."  Madeleine  spoke  in  her  gayest  tones, 
but  in  truth  she  dreaded  what  the  man  might 
make  of  this  innocent  escapade  and  intended  to 
make  a  friend  of  him  if  possible. 

She  was  growing  accustomed  to  the  gloom 
and  saw  him  smile  fatuously.  "  That  sends  me 
to  the  seventh  heaven.  How  often  since  you 
came  have  I  wished  that  my  dancing  days  were 
not  over." 

"  I'd  far  rather  hear  you  talk.  Tell  me 
some  news." 

"  News?    News?    San  Francisco  is  as   flat  at 


36  SLEEPING    FIRES 

present  as  spilled  champagne.  Let  me  see? 
Ah!  Did  you  ever  hear  of  Langdon  Mas 
ters?  " 

"No.    Who  is  he?" 

"  He  is  Virginian  like  myself  —  a  distant 
cousin.  He  fought  through  the  war,  badly 
wounded  twice,  came  home  to  find  little 
left  of  the  old  estate  —  practically  nothing 
for  him.  He  tried  to  start  a  newspaper 
in  Richmond  but  couldn't  raise  the  capital. 
He  went  to  New  York  and  wrote  for  the 
newspapers  there;  also  writes  a  good  deal 
for  the  more  intellectual  magazines.  Thought 
perhaps  you  had  come  across  something  of  his. 
There  is  just  a  whisper,  you  know,  that  you 
were  rather  a  bas  bleu  before  you  came  to  us." 

"  Because  I  was  born  and  educated  in  Bos 
ton?  Poor  Boston!  I  do  recall  reading  some 
thing  of  Mr.  Masters'  in  the  Atlantic —  I  sup 
pose  it  was  —  but  I  have  forgotten  what. 
Here,  I  have  grown  too  frivolous — and  happy 
—  to  care  to  read  at  all.  But  what  have  you  to 
tell  me  particularly  about  Mr.  Masters?  " 

"  I  had  a  letter  from  him  this  morning  ask 
ing  me  if  there  was  an  opening  here.  He  re 
sents  the  antagonism  in  the  North  that  he  meets 


SLEEPING    FIRES  37 

at  every  turn,  although  they  are  glad  enough 
of  his  exceptionally  brilliant  work.  But  he 
knows  that  San  Francisco  is  the  last  stronghold 
of  the  South,  and  also  that  our  people  are 
generous  and  enterprising.  I  shall  write  him 
that  I  can  see  no  opening  for  another  paper  at 
present,  but  will  let  him  know  if  there  happens 
to  be  one  on  an  editorial  staff.  That  is  a  long 
journey  to  take  on  an  uncertainty." 

:c  I  should  think  so.  Heavens,  how  this 
carriage  does  bounce.  The  horses  must  be  gal 
loping." 

"  Probably."  He  lifted  a  corner  of  the  cur 
tain.  "We  shall  reach  the  city  soon  at  this 
rate.  Ah!  " 

Madeleine,  in  spite  of  the  bouncing  vehicle, 
had  managed  heretofore  to  prop  herself 
firmly  in  her  corner,  but  a  violent  lurch  sud 
denly  threw  her  against  Travers.  He  caught 
her  firmly  in  one  of  his  lean  wiry  arms.  At 
the  moment  she  thought  nothing  of  it,  al 
though  she  disliked  the  contact,  but  when  she 
endeavored  to  disengage  herself,  he  merely 
jerked  her  more  closely  to  his  side  and  she  felt 
his  hot  breath  upon  her  cheek.  It  was  the  fe 
vered  breath  of  a  man  who  drinks  much  and 
l:itc  and  almost  nauseated  her. 


38  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  Come  come,"  whispered  Travers.  "  I  know 
you  didn't  go  out  there  to  meet  any  onej  it 
was  just  a  natural  impulse  for  a  little  adventure, 
wasn't  it?  And  I  deserve  my  reward  for  get 
ting  you  home  safely.  Give  me  a  kiss." 

Madeleine  wrenched  herself  free,  but  he 
laughed  and  caught  her  again,  this  time  in  both 
arms.  "  Oh,  you  can't  get  away,  and  I'm  go 
ing  to  have  that  kiss.  Yes,  a  dozen,  by  Jove. 
You're  the  prettiest  thing  in  San  Francisco, 
and  I'll  get  ahead  of  the  other  men  there." 

His  yellow  distorted  face  —  he  looked  like 
a  satyr  —  was  almost  on  hers.  She  freed  her 
self  once  more  with  a  dexterous  twisting  mo 
tion  of  her  supple  body,  leaped  to  the  front  of 
the  carriage  and  pounded  on  the  window  be 
hind  the  driver. 

"  For  God's  sake!  You  fool!  What  are 
you  doing?  Do  you  want  a  scandal?  " 

The  carriage  stopped  its  erratic  course  so 
abruptly  that  he  was  thrown  to  the  floor. 
Madeleine  already  had  the  door  open.  She  had 
all  the  strength  of  youth  and  perfect  health, 
and  he  was  worn  out  and  shaken.  He  was 
scrambling  to  his  feet.  She  put  her  arms  un 
der  his  shoulders  and  threw  him  out  into  the 
road. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  39 

"Go  on!  "  she  called  to  the  driver.  And 
as  he  whipped  up  the  horses  again,  his  Ho 
meric  laughter  mingling  with  the  curses  of  the 
man  in  the  ditch,  she  sank  back  trembling  and 
gasping.  It  was  her  first  experience  of  the 
vileness  of  man,  for  the  men  of  her  day  re 
spected  the  women  of  their  own  class  unless 
met  half  way,  or,  violently  enamoured,  given 
full  opportunity  to  express  their  emotions. 

Moreover  she  had  made  a  venomous  enemy. 

What  would  Howard  say?  What  would  he 
do  to  the  wretch?  Horsewhip  him?  Would 
he  stop  to  think  of  scandal?  The  road  had  been 
deserted.  She  knew  that  Travers  would  keep 
his  humiliation  to  himself  and  the  incidents 
that  led  up  to  itj  but  if  she  told  her  husband 
and  he  lost  his  head  the  story  would  come  out 
and  soon  cease  to  bear  any  semblance  to  the 
truth.  She  wished  she  had  some  one  to  advise 
her.  What  did  insulted  women  do  ? 

But  she  could  not  think  in  this  horrible  car 
riage.  It  would  be  at  least  an  hour  before  she 
saw  Howard.  She  would  bathe  her  face  in 
cold  water  and  try  to  think. 

The  hack  stopped  again  and  the  coach- 
mun  left  the  box. 


40  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  It's  only  a  few  blocks  now,  ma'am,"  he 
said,  as  he  opened  the  door.  "  I  haven't  much 
time  —  " 

Madeleine  almost  sprang  out.  She  opened 
her  purse.  He  accepted  the  large  bill  with  a 
grin  on  his  good-natured  face. 

"  That's  all  right,  Mrs.  Talbot.  I  wouldn't 
have  spoke  of  it  nohow.  The  Doctor  and  me's 
old  friends.  But  I'm  just  glad  old  Ben  got 
what  he  deserved.  The  impudence  of  him! 
You  —  well!  —  Good  day,  ma'am.  " 

He  paused  as  he  was  climbing  back  to  the 
box. 

"If  you  don't  mind  my  giving  ye  a  bit  of 
advice,  Mrs.  Talbot --I've  seen  a  good  bit  of 
the  world,  I  have  —  this  is  a  hot  city,  all 
right  —  I  just  wouldn't  say  anything  to  the 
doctor.  Trouble  makes  trouble.  Better  let  it 
stop  right  here." 

"  Thanks,  Thomas.    Good-by." 

And  Madeleine  strode  down  the  street  as  if 
the  furies  pursued  her. 


VI 


MADELEINE  was  spared  the  ordeal  of 
confession  j  it  was  six  weeks  before  she 
saw  her  husband  again.  He  telegraphed  at  six 
o'clock  that  he  had  a  small-pox  patient  and 
could  not  subject  her  to  the  risk  of  contagion. 
The  disease  most  dreaded  in  San  Francisco 
had  arrived  some  time  before  and  the  pest 
house  outside  the  city  limits  was  already 
crowded.  The  next  day  yellow  flags  appeared 
before  several  houses.  Before  a  week  passed 
they  had  multiplied  all  over  the  city.  People 
went  about  with  visible  camphor  bags  suspended 
from  their  necks,  and  Madeleine  heard  the 
galloping  death  wagon  at  all  hours  of  the  night. 
Howard  telegraphed  frequently  and  sent  a 
doctor  to  revaccinate  her,  as  the  virus  he  had 
administered  himself  had  not  taken.  She  was 
not  to  worry  about  him  as  he  vaccinated  him 
self  every  day.  Finally  he  commanded  her  to 
leave  town,  and  she  made  a  round  of  visits. 
She  spent  a  fortnight  at  Rincona,  Mrs.  Ab- 
41 


42  SLEEPING    FIRES 

bott's  place  at  Alta,  in  the  San  Mateo  valley, 
and  another  with  the  Hathaways  near  by. 
Then,  after  a  fortnight  at  the  different 
"  Springs  "  she  settled  down  for  the  rest  of 
the  summer  on  the  Ballinger  ranch  in  the  Santa 
Clara  valley.  All  her  hostesses  had  house 
parties,  there  were  picnics  by  day  and  dancing 
or  hay-rides  at  night.  For  the  first  time 
she  saw  the  beautiful  California  country;  the 
redwood  forests  on  the  mountains,  the  bare 
brown  and  golden  hills,  the  great  valleys  with 
their  forests  of  oaks  and  madronas  cleared 
here  and  there  for  orchard  and  vineyard; 
knowing  that  Howard  was  safe  she  gave  herself 
to  pleasure  once  more.  After  all  there  was  a 
certain  satisfaction  in  the  assurance  that  her 
husband  could  not  be  with  her  if  he  would. 
She  was  not  deliberately  neglected  and  it  was 
positive  that  he  never  entered  the  Club.  She 
told  no  one  but  Sally  Ballinger  of  her  adven 
ture,  and  although  Travers  was  a  favorite  of 
her  mother,  this  devoted  friend  adroitly 
managed  that  the  gentleman  to  whom  she  ap 
plied  many  excoriating  adjectives  should  not  be 
invited  that  summer  to  "  the  ranch." 


VII 


LANGDON  MASTERS  arrived  in  San 
Francisco  during  Madeleine's  third  win 
ter.  He  did  not  come  unheralded,  for  Travers 
bragged  about  him  constantly  and  asserted  that 
San  Francisco  could  thank  him  for  an  editorial 
writer  second  to  none  in  the  United  States  of 
America.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  on  Mas 
ters'  achievement  alone  that  the  editor  of  the 
Alt  a  California  had  invited  him  to  become  a 
member  of  his  staff. 

Masters  was  also  a  cousin  of  Alexander 
Groome,  and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  as  a  guest 
at  the  house  on  Ballinger  Hill,  a  lonely  outpost 
in  the  wastes  of  rock  and  sand  in  the  west. 

There  was  no  excitement  in  the  female  breast 
over  his  arrival  for  young  men  were  abundant ; 
but  Society  was  prepared  to  welcome  him  not 
only  on  account  of  his  distinguished  connections 
but  because  his  deliberate  choice  of  San  Fran 
cisco  for  his  future  career  was  a  compliment 
they  were  quick  to  appreciate. 

43 


44  SLEEPING    FIRES 

He  came  gaily  to  his  fate  filled  with  high 
hopes  of  owning  his  own  newspaper  before 
long  and  ranking  as  the  leading  journalist  in 
the  great  little  city  made  famous  by  gold  and 
Bret  Harte.  He  was  one  of  many  in  New 
York;  he  knew  that  with  his  brilliant  gifts  and 
the  immediate  prominence  his  new  position 
would  give  him  the  future  was  his  to  mould. 
No  man,  then  or  since,  has  brought  so  rare  an 
assortment  of  talents  to  the  erratic  journalism 
of  San  Francisco;  not  even  James  King  of 
William,  the  murdered  editor  of  the  Evening 
Bulletin.  Perhaps  he  too  would  have  been 
murdered  had  he  remained  long  enough  to 
own  and  edit  the  newspaper  of  his  dreams,  for 
he  had  a  merciless  irony,  a  fearless  spirit,  and 
an  utter  contempt  for  the  prejudices  of  small 
men.  But  for  a  time  at  least  it  looked  as  if  the 
history  of  journalism  in  San  Francisco  was  to 
be  one  of  California's  proudest  boasts. 

Masters  was  a  practical  visionary,  a  dreamer 
whose  dreams  never  confused  his  metallic  in 
tellect,  a  stylist  who  fascinated  even  the  poor 
mind  forced  to  express  itself  in  colloquialisms, 
a  man  of  immense  erudition  for  his  years  (he 
was  only  thirty);  and  he  was  insatiably  inter- 


SLEEPING    FIRES  45 

ested  in  the  affairs  of  the  world  and  in  every 
phase  of  life.  He  was  a  poet  by  nature,  and  a 
journalist  by  profession  because  he  believed  the 
press  was  destined  to  become  the  greatest 
power  in  the  country,  and  he  craved  not  only 
power  but  the  utmost  opportunity  for  self- 
expression. 

His  character  possessed  as  many  antitheses. 
He  was  a  natural  lover  of  women  and  avoided 
them  not  only  because  he  feared  entanglements 
and  enervations  but  because  he  had  little  respect 
for  their  brains.  He  was,  by  his  Virginian 
inheritance,  if  for  no  simpler  reason,  a  bon  vi- 
vant,  but  the  preoccupations  and  ordinary  con 
versational  subjects  of  men  irritated  him,  and 
he  cultivated  their  society  and  that  of  women 
only  in  so  far  as  they  were  essential  to  his 
deeper  understanding  of  life.  His  code  was 
noblesse  oblige  and  he  privately  damned  it  as  a 
superstition  foisted  upon  him  by  his  ancestors. 
He  was  sentimental  and  ironic,  passionate  and 
indifferent,  frank  and  subtle,  proud  and  dem 
ocratic,  with  a  warm  capacity  for  friendship  and 
none  whatever  for  intimacy,  a  hard  worker 
with  a  strong  taste  for  loafing  —  in  the  open 
country,  book  in  hand.  He  prided  himself 


46  SLEEPING    FIRES 

upon  his  iron  will  and  turned  uneasily  from  the 
weeds  growing  among  the  fine  flowers  of  his 
nature. 

Such  was  Langdon  Masters  when  he  came  to 
San  Francisco  and  Madeleine  Talbot. 


VIII 

HE  SOON  tired  of  plunging  through  the 
sand  hills  between  the  city  and  Ballinger 
Hill  either  on  horseback  or  in  a  hack  whose 
driver,  if  the  hour  were  late,  was  commonly 
drunk;  and  took  a  suite  of  rooms  in  the 
Occidental  Hotel.  He  had  brought  his  library 
with  him  and  one  side  of  his  parlor  was  imme 
diately  furnished  with  books  to  the  ceiling.  It 
was  some  time  before  Society  saw  anything  of 
him.  He  had  a  quick  reputation  to  make,  many 
articles  promised  to  Eastern  periodicals  and 
newspapers,  no  mind  for  distractions. 

But  his  brilliant  and  daring  editorials,  not 
only  on  the  pestiferous  politics  of  San  Fran 
cisco,  but  upon  national  topics,  soon  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  men;  who,  moreover,  were 
fascinated  by  his  conversation  during  his  oc 
casional  visits  to  the  Union  Club.  Several 
times  he  was  cornered,  royally  treated  to  the 
best  the  cellar  afforded,  and  upon  one  occasion 
talked  for  two  hours,  prodded  merely  with  a 
question  when  he  showed  a  tendency  to  drop 

47 


48  SLEEPING    FIRES 

into  revery.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact  he  liked 
to  talk,  knowing  that  fie  could  outshine  other 
intelligent  men,  and  a  responsive  palate  put 
him  in  good  humor  with  all  men  and  inspired 
him  with  unwonted  desire  to  please. 

Husbands  spoke  of  him  enthusiastically  at 
home  and  wives  determined  to  know  him. 
They  besieged  Alexina  Ballinger.  Why  had 
she  not  done  her  duty?  Langdon  Masters  had 
lived  in  her  house  for  weeks.  Mrs.  Ballinger 
replied  that  she  had  barely  seen  the  man.  He 
rarely  honored  them  at  dinner,  sat  up  until 
four  in  the  morning  with  her  son-in-law  (if  she 
were  not  mistaken  he  and  Alexander  Groome 
were  two  of  a  feather),  breakfasted  at  all  hours, 
and  then  went  directly  to  the  city.  What  pos 
sible  use  could  such  a  man  be  to  Society?  He 
had  barely  looked  at  Sally,  much  less  the  uxori- 
ously  married  Maria,  and  might  have  been 
merely  an  inconsiderate  boarder  who  had  given 
nothing  but  unimpaired  Virginian  manners  in 
return  for  so  much  upsetting  of  a  household. 
No  doubt  the  servants  would  have  rebelled  had 
he  not  tipped  them  immoderately.  "  More 
over,"  she  concluded,  "  he  is  quite  unlike  our 
men,  if  he  is  a  Southerner.  And  not  handsome 
at  all.  His  hair  is  black  but  he  wears  it  too 


SLEEPING    FIRES  49 

short,  and  he  had  no  mustache,  nor  even  side 
boards.  His  face  has  deep  lines  and  his  eyes 
are  like  steel.  He  rarely  smiles  and  I  don't 
believe  he  ever  laughed  in  his  life." 

Society,  however,  had  made  up  its  mind,  and 
as  the  women  had  no  particular  desire  to  make 
that  terrible  journey  to  Alexina  Ballinger's  any 
oftener  than  was  necessary,  it  was  determined 
(in  conclave)  that  Mrs.  Hunt  McLane  should 
have  the  honor  of  capturing  and  introducing 
this  difficult  and  desirable  person. 

Mr.  McLane,  who  had  met  him  at  the  Club, 
called  on  him  formally  and  invited  him  to  din 
ner.  Hunt  McLane  was  the  greatest  lawyer 
and  one  of  the  greatest  gentlemen  in  San  Fran 
cisco.  Masters  was  too  much  a  man  of  the 
world  not  to  appreciate  the  compliment;  more 
over,  he  had  now  been  in  San  Francisco  for  two 
months  and  his  social  instincts  were  stirring. 
He  accepted  the  invitation  and  many  others. 

People  dined  early  in  those  simple  days  and 
the  hours  he  spent  in  the  most  natural  and 
agreeable  society  he  had  ever  entered  did  not 
interfere  with  his  work.  Sometimes  he  talked, 
at  others  merely  listened  with  a  pleasant  sense 
of  relaxation  to  the  chatter  of  pretty  women; 
with  whom  he  was  quite  willing  to  flirt  as  long 


50  SLEEPING    FIRES 

as  there  was  no  hint  of  the  heavy  vail.  He 
thought  it  quite  possible  he  should  fall  in  love 
with  and  marry  one  of  these  vivacious  pretty 
girls  j  when  his  future  was  assured  in  the  dty  of 
his  enthusiastic  adoption. 

He  met  Madeleine  at  all  these  gatherings, 
but  it  so  happened  that  he  never  sat  beside  her 
and  he  had  no  taste  for  kettledrums  or  balls. 
He  thought  her  very  lovely  to  look  at  and  won 
dered  why  so  young  and  handsome  a  woman 
with  a  notoriously  faithful  husband  should 
have  so  sad  an  expression.  Possibly  because  it 
rather  became  her  style  of  beauty. 

He  saw  a  good  deal  of  Dr.  Talbot  at  the 
Club  however  and  asked  them  both  to  one  of 
the  little  dinners  in  his  rooms  with  which  he 
paid  his  social  debts.  These  dinners  were  very 
popular,  for  he  was  a  connoisseur  in  wines,  the 
dinner  was  sent  from  a  French  restaurant,  and 
he  was  never  more  entertaining  than  at  his  own 
table.  His  guests  were  as  carefully  assorted  as 
his  wines,  and  if  he  did  not  know  intuitively 
whose  minds  and  tastes  were  most  in  harmony, 
or  what  lady  did  not  happen  to  be  speaking  to 
another  at  the  moment,  he  had  always  the  deli 
cate  hints  of  Mrs.  McLane  to  guide  him.  She 
was  his  social  sponsor  and  vastly  proud  of  him. 


IX 


IV/TADELEINE  went  impassively  to  the 
±V-L  dinner.  His  brilliancy  had  impressed 
her  but  she  was  indifferent  to  everything  these 
days  and  her  intellect  was  torpid;  although 
when  in  society  and  under  the  influence  of  the 
lights  and  wine  she  could  be  almost  as  animated 
as  ever.  But  the  novelty  of  that  society  had 
worn  thin  long  since;  she  continued  to  go  out 
partly  as  a  matter  of  routine,  more  perhaps 
because  she  had  no  other  resource.  She  saw 
less  of  her  husband  than  ever,  for  his  practice 
as  well  as  his  masculine  acquaintance  grew  with 
the  city  —  and  that  was  swarming  over  the  hills 
of  the  north  and  out  toward  the  sand  dunes  of 
the  west.  But  she  was  resigned,  and  inappe- 
tent.  She  had  even  ceased  to  wish  for  children. 
The  future  stretched  before  her  interminable 
and  dull.  A  railroad  had  been  built  across  the 
continent  and  she  had  asked  permission  re 
cently  of  her  husband  to  visit  her  parents:  her 
mother  was  now  an  invalid  and  Mr.  Chilton 
would  not  leave  her. 


52  SLEEPING    FIRES 

But  the  doctor  was  more  nearly  angry  than 
she  had  ever  seen  him.  He  couldn't  live  with 
out  her.  He  must  always  know  she  was 
"there."  Moreover,  she  was  run  down,  she 
was  thin  and  pale;  he  must  keep  her  under  his 
eye.  But  if  he  was  worried  about  her  health 
he  was  still  more  worried  at  her  apparent  de 
sire  to  leave  him  for  months.  Did  she  no 
longer  love  him  ?  Her  response  was  not  em 
phatic  and  he  went  out  and  bought  her  a  dia 
mond  bracelet.  At  least  she  was  thankful  that 
it  had  been  bought  for  her  and  not  sent  to  his 
wife  by  mistake,  an  experience  that  had  hap 
pened  the  other  day  to  Maria  Groome.  The 
town  had  rocked  with  laughter  and  Groome  had 
made  a  hurried  trip  East  on  business.  But 
Madeleine  no  longer  found  consolation  in  the 
reflection  that  things  might  be  worse.  The  sen 
sation  of  jealousy  would  have  been  a  welcome 
relief  from  this  spiritual  and  mental  inertia. 
She  wore  a  dress  of  bright  golden-green 
grosgrain  silk  trimmed  with  crepe  leaves  a 
shade  deeper.  The  pointed  bodice  displayed 
her  shoulders  in  a  fashion  still  beloved  of  royal 
ladies,  and  her  soft  golden-brown  hair  was 
dressed  in  a  high  chignon  with  a  long  curl  de- 


M.KK1MNG    FIRES  53 

scending  over  the  left  side  of  her  bust.  A  few 
still  clung  to  the  low  chignon,  others  had 
adopted  a  fashion  set  by  the  Empress  Eugenie 
and  wore  their  hair  in  a  mass  of  curls  on  the 
nape  of  the  neckj  but  Madeleine  received  the 
latest  advices  from  a  sister-in-law  who  lived  in 
New  York;  and  as  femininity  dies  hard  she 
still  felt  a  mild  pleasure  in  introducing  the 
latest  cry  in  fashion.  As  she  was  the  last  to  ar 
rive  she  would  have  been  less  than  woman  if 
she  had  not  felt  a  glow  at  the  sensation  she 
made.  The  color  came  back  to  her  cheeks  as 
the  women  surrounded  her  with  ecstatic  com 
pliments  and  peered  at  the  coiffure  from  all 
sides.  The  diamond  bracelet  was  barely 
noticed. 

"  I  adopt  it  tomorrow,"  said  Mrs.  McLane 
emphatically.  "  With  my  white  hair  I  shall 
look  more  like  an  old  marquise  than  ever." 

One  of  the  other  women  ran  into  Masters' 
bedroom  where  they  had  left  their  wraps  and 
emerged  in  a  few  moments  with  a  lifted  chi 
gnon  and  a  straggling  curl.  Amid  exclamations 
and  laughter  two  more  followed  suit,  while  the 
host  and  the  other  men  waited  patiently  for 
their  dinner.  It  was  a  lively  party  that  finally 


54  SLEEPING    FIRES 

sat  down,  and  it  was  the  gayest  if  the  most 
momentous  of  Masters'  little  functions. 

His  eyes  strayed  toward  Madeleine  more 
than  once,  for  her  success  had  excited  her  and 
she  had  never  looked  lovelier.  She  was  at  the 
other  end  of  the  table  and  Mrs.  McLane  and 
Mrs.  Ballinger  sat  beside  him.  She  interested 
him  for  the  first  time  and  he  adroitly  drew  her 
history  from  his  mentor  (not  that  he  deluded 
that  astute  lady  for  an  instant,  but  she  dearly 
loved  to  gossip). 

"  She  is  going  through  one  of  those 
crises  that  all  young  wives  must  expect,"  she 
concluded.  "If  it  isn't  one  thing  it's  another. 
She  is  still  very  young,  and  inclined  to  be  ro 
mantic.  She  expected  too  much  —  of  a  husband, 
mon  dieu!  Of  course  she  is  lonely  or  thinks 
she  is.  Too  bad  youth  never  can  realize  that  it 
is  enough  to  be  young.  And  with  beauty,  and 
means,  and  position,  and  charming  frocks!  She 
will  grow  philosophical  —  when  it  is  too  late. 
Meanwhile  a  little  flirtation  would  not  hurt  her 
and  Howard  Talbot  does  not  know  the  meaning 
of  the  word  jealousy.  Why  don't  you  take 
her  in  hand?" 

"Not  my  line.    But  it  seems  odd  that  Talbot 


SLEEPING    FIRES  55 

should  neglect  her.  She  looks  intelligent  and 
she  is  certainly  beautiful." 

"Oh,  Howard!  He  is  the  best  of  men  but 
the  worst  of  husbands." 

Her  attention  was  claimed  by  the  man  on  her 
right  and  at  the  same  moment  Madeleine's  had 
evidently  been  drawn  to  the  wall  of  books  be 
hind  her.  She  turned,  craned  her  neck,  forget 
ting  her  partner. 

Then,  Masters  saw  a  strange  thing.  Her  eyes 
filled  with  tears  and  she  continued  to  stare  at 
the  books  in  complete  absorption  until  her 
attention  was  laughingly  recalled. 

"Now,  that  is  odd,"  thought  Masters.  "Very 
odd." 

She  felt  his  keen  gaze  and  laughed  with  a 
curious  eagerness  as  she  met  his  eyes.  He 
guessed  that  for  the  first  time  he  had  interested 
her. 


AFTER  dinner  the  men  went  into  his  den 
to  smoke,  but  before  his  cigar  was  half 
finished  he  muttered  something  about  his  duty 
to  the  ladies  and  returned  to  the  parlor.  As  he 
had  half  expected,  Madeleine  was  standing  be 
fore  the  books  scanning  their  titles,  and  as  he 
approached  she  drew  her  hand  caressingly 
across  a  shelf  devoted  to  the  poets.  The  other 
women  were  gossiping  at  the  end  of  the  long 
room. 

"You  are  fond  of  books!"  he  said  abruptly. 

She  had  not  noticed  his  reappearance.  She 
was  startled  and  exclaimed  passionately,  "  I 
loved  them — once!  But  it  is  a  long  time  since 
I  have  read  anything  but  an  occasional  novel." 

"But  why?  Why?" 

He  had  powerful  gray  eyes  and  they  mag 
netized  the  truth  out  of  her. 

"My  husband  thinks  it  is  a  woman's  sole  duty 
to  look  charming.  He  was  afraid  I  would  be 
come  a  bluestocking  and  lose  my  charm  and 

56 


SLEEPING    FIRES  57 

spoil  my  looks.  I  brought  many  books  with  me, 
but  I  never  opened  the  cases  and  finally  gave 
them  to  the  Mercantile  Library.  I  have  never 
gone  to  look  at  them." 

"Good  heaven!"  He  had  never  felt  sorrier 
for  a  woman  who  had  asked  alms  of  him  in  the 
street. 

She  was  looking  at  him  eagerly.  "Perhaps 
— you  won't  mind — you  will  lend  me — I  don't 
think  my  husband  would  notice  now — he  is 
never  at  home  except  for  breakfast  and  din 
ner— " 

"Will  I  ?  For  heaven's  sake  look  upon  them 
as  your  own.  What  will  you  take  with  you 
to-night?" 

"Oh!  Nothing!  Perhaps  you  will  send  me 
one  tomorrow?" 

"One?  I'll  send  a  dozen.  Let  us  select 
them  now." 

But  at  this  moment  the  other  men  entered 
and  she  whispered  hurriedly,  "Will  you  select 
and  send  them?  Any — any — I  don't  care 
what." 

The  doctor  came  toward  them  full  of  good 
wine  and  laughter.  The  books  meant  nothing 
to  him.  He  had  forgotten  his  wife's  inexplica- 


58  SLEEPING    FIRES 

ble  taste  for  serious  literature.  He  now  found 
her  quite  perfect  but  was  worried  about  her 
health.  The  tonics  and  horseback  riding  he  had 
prescribed  seemed  to  have  little  effect. 

"I  am  going  to  take  you  away  and  send  you 
to  bed,"  he  said  jovially.  "No  sitting  up  after 
nine  o'clock  until  you  are  yourself  again,  and 
not  another  ball  this  winter.  A  wife  is  a  great 
responsibility,  Masters.  Any  other  woman  is 
easier  to  prescribe  for,  but  the  wife  of  your 
bosom  knows  you  so  well  she  can  fool  you,  as 
no  woman  who  expects  a  bill  twice  a  year  would 
dare  to  do.  Still,  she's  pretty  good,  pretty 
good.  She's  never  had  an  attack  of  nerves,  nor 
fainted  yet.  And  as  for  'blues'  she  doesn't 
know  the  meaning  of  the  word.  Come  along, 
sweetheart." 

Madeleine  smiled  half  cynically,  half  wist 
fully,  shook  hands  with  her  host  and  made  him 
a  pretty  little  speech,  nodded  to  the  others  and 
went  obediently  to  bed.  The  doctor,  whose 
manners  were  courtly,  escorted  her  to  the  door 
of  their  parlor  and  returned  to  Masters'  rooms. 
The  other  women  left  immediately  afterward, 
and  as  it  was  Saturday  night,  he  and  his  host 
and  Mr.  McLane  talked  until  nearly  morning. 


XI 


BY  THE  first  of  June  Fashion  had  de 
serted  the  city  with  its  winds  and  fogs 
and  dust,  and  Madeleine  was  one  of  the 
few  that  remained.  Her  husband  had  in 
tended  to  send  her  to  Congress  Springs 
in  the  mountains  of  the  Santa  Clara  Val 
ley,  but  she  seemed  to  be  so  much  better 
that  he  willingly  let  her  stay  on,  con 
gratulating  himself  on  the  results  of  his  treat 
ment.  She  was  no  longer  listless  and  was  al 
ways  singing  at  the  piano  when  he  rushed  in 
for  his  dinner. 

If  he  had  been  told  that  the  cure  was 
effected  by  books  he  would  have  been  pro 
foundly  skeptical,  and  perhaps  wisely  so.  But 
although  Madeleine  felt  an  almost  passionate 
gratitude  for  Masters,  she  gave  him  little 
thought  except  when  a  new  package  of  books 
arrived,  or  when  she  discussed  them  briefly  with 
him  in  Society.  He  had  never  called. 

But  her  mind  flowered  like  a  bit  of  tropical 

59 


60  SLEEPING    FIRES 

country  long  neglected  by  rain.  She  had 
thought  that  the  very  seeds  of  her  mental  de 
sires  were  dead,  but  they  sprouted  during  a 
long  uninterrupted  afternoon  and  grew  so 
rapidly  they  intoxicated  her.  Masters  had 
sent  her  in  that  first  offering  poets  who 
had  not  become  fashionable  in  Boston  when 
she  left  it:  Browning,  Matthew  Arnold 
and  Swinburne  j  besides  the  Byron  and 
Shelley  and  Keats  of  her  girlhood.  He 
sent  her  Letters  and  Essays  and  Memoirs  and 
Biographies  that  she  had  never  read  and  those 
that  she  had  and  was  glad  to  read  again.  He 
sent  her  books  on  art  and  she  re-lived  her  days 
in  the  galleries  of  Europe,  understanding  for 
the  first  time  what  she  had  instinctively 
admired. 

It  was  not  only  the  sense  of  mental  growth 
and  expansion  that  exhilarated  her,  after  her 
long  drought,  but  the  translation  to  a  new 
world.  She  lived  in  the  past  in  these  lives  of 
dead  men  5  and  as  she  read  the  biographies  of 
great  painters  and  musicians  she  shared  their 
disappointments  and  forgot  her  own.  Her 
emotional  nature  was  in  constant  vibration,  and 
this  phenomenon  was  the  more  dangerous,  as 


SLEEPING    FIRES  61 

she  would  have  argued — had  she  thought  about 
it  at  all — that  having  been  diverted  to  the  in 
tellect  it  must  necessarily  remain  there. 

If  she  had  belonged  to  a  later  generation 
no  doubt  she  would  have  taken  to  the  pen  her 
self,  and  artistic  expression  would — possibly — 
have  absorbed  and  safe-guarded  her  during  the 
remainder  of  her  genetic  years  j  but  such  a 
thing  never  occurred  to  her.  She  was  too 
modest  in  the  face  of  master  work,  and  only 
queer  freakish  women  wrote,  anyhow,  not 
ladies  of  her  social  status. 

Although  her  thoughts  rarely  strayed  to 
Masters,  he  hovered  a  sort  of  beneficent  god  in 
the  background  of  her  consciousness,,  the  author 
of  her  new  freedom  and  content  j  but  it  was 
only  after  an  unusually  long  talk  with  him  at 
a  large  dinner  given  to  a  party  of  distinguished 
visitors  from  Europe,  shortly  before  Society 
left  town,  that  she  found  herself  longing  to  dis 
cuss  with  him  books  that  a  week  before  would 
have  been  sufficient  in  themselves. 

The  opportunity  did  not  arise  however  until 

she  had  been  for  more  than  a  fortnight  "alone" 

a  Francisco.     She  was  returning  from  her 

daily  brisk  walk  when  she  met  him  at  the  door 


62  SLEEPING    FIRES 

of  the  hotel.  They  naturally  entered  and 
walked  up  the  stairs  together.  She  had  imme 
diately  begun  to  ply  him  with  questions,  and 
as  she  unlocked  the  door  of  her  parlor  she  in 
vited  him  to  enter. 

He  hesitated  a  moment.  Nothing  was  far 
ther  from  his  intention  than  to  permit  his  inter 
est  in  this  charming  lonely  woman  to  deepen j 
entanglements  had  proved  fatal  before  to  am 
bitious  men;  morever  he  was  almost  an  intimate 
friend  of  her  husband.  But  he  had  no  reason 
able  excuse,  he  had  manifestly  been  sauntering 
when  they  met,  and  he  had  all  the  fine  courtesy 
of  the  South.  He  followed  her  into  the  hotel 
parlor  she  had  made  unlike  any  other  room  in 
San  Francisco,  with  the  delicate  French  furni 
ture  and  hangings  her  mother  had  bought  in 
Paris  and  given  her  as  a  wedding  present. 
A  log  fire  was  blazing.  She  waved  her  hand 
toward  an  easy  chair  beside  the  hearth,  threw 
aside  her  hat  and  lifted  her  shining  crushed 
hair  with  both  hands,  then  ran  over  to  a  pan 
elled  chest  which  the  doctor  had  conceded  to  be 
handsome,  but  quite  useless  as  it  was  not  even 
lined  with  cedar. 

"I  keep  them  in  here,"  she  exclaimed  as  glee- 


SLEEPING    FIRES  63 

fully  as  a  naughty  child  j  and  he  had  the  uneasy 
sense  of  sharing  a  secret  with  her  that  isolated 
them  on  a  little  oasis  of  their  own  in  this  law 
less  waste  of  San  Francisco. 

She  had  opened  the  chest  and  was  rummag 
ing. 

"What  shall  it  be  first?  How  I  have  longed 
to  talk  with  you  about  a  dozen.  On  the  whole 
I  think  I'd  rather  you'd  read  a  poem  to  me. 
Do  you  mind?  I  know  you  are  not  lazy — oh, 
no! — and  I  am  sure  you  read  delightfully." 

"I  don't  mind  in  the  least,"  he  said  gal 
lantly.  (At  all  events  he  was  in  for  it.)  "And 
I  rather  like  the  sound  of  my  own  voice.  What 
shall  it  be?" 

And,  alas,  she  chose  "The  Statue  and  the 
Bust." 


XII 

HE  WAS  disconcerted,  but  his  sense  of 
humor  come  to  his  rescue,  and  although 
he  read  that  passionate  poem  with  its  ominous 
warning  to  hesitant  lovers,  with  the  proper  em 
phasis  and  as  much  feeling  as  he  dared,  he  man 
aged  to  make  it  a  wholly  impersonal  perform 
ance.  When  he  finished  he  dropped  the  book 
and  glanced  over  at  his  companion.  She  was 
sitting  forward  with  a  rapt  expression,  her 
cheeks  flushed,  her  breath  coming  unevenly. 
But  there  was  neither  challenge  nor  self-con 
sciousness  in  her  eyes.  The  sparkle  had  left 
them,  but  it  was  their  innocence,  not  their  melt 
ing,  that  stirred  him  profoundly.  With  her 
palimpsest  mind  she  was  a  poet  for  the  mo 
ment,  not  a  woman. 

Her  manners  never  left  her  and  she  paid 
him  a  conventional  little  compliment  on  his 
reading,  then  asked  him  if  he  believed  that 
people  who  could  love  like  that  had  ever  lived, 

64 


SLEEPING    FIRES  65 

or  if  such  dramas  were  the  peculiar  preroga 
tive  of  the  divinely  gifted  imagination. 

He  replied  drily  that  a  good  many  people  in 
their  own  time  loved  recklessly  and  even  more 
disastrously,  and  then  asked  her  irresistibly 
(for  he  was  a  man  if  a  wary  one)  if  she  had 
never  loved  herself. 

"Oh,  of  course,"  she  replied  simply.  "I  love 
my  husband.  But  domestic  love — how  dif 
ferent!" 

"But  have  you  never — domestic  love  does 
not  always — well — " 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  replied  with 
the  same  disconcerting  simplicity,  "Oh,  when 
you  are  married  you  are  married.  And  now  that 
your  books  have  made  me  so  happy  I  never 
find  fault  with  Howard  any  more.  I  know  that 
he  cannot  be  changed  and  he  loves  me  devot 
edly  in  his  fashion.  Mrs.  McLane  is  always 
preaching  philosophy  and  your  books  have 
shown  me  the  way." 

"And  do  you  imagine  that  books  will  always 
fill  your  life?  After  the  novelty  has  worn 
off?" 

"Oh,  that  could  never  be!  Even  if  you  went 
away  and  took  your  books  with  you  I  should 
get  others.  I  am  quite  emancipated  now." 


66  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"This  is  the  first  time  I  ever  heard  a  young 
and  beautiful  woman  declare  that  books  were 
an  adequate  substitute  for  life.  And  one  sort 
of  emancipation  is  very  likely  to  lead  to 
another." 

She  drew  herself  up  and  all  her  Puritan 
forefathers  looked  from  her  candid  eyes.  "If 
you  mean  that  I  would  do  the  things  that  a  few 
of  our  women  do — not  many  (she  was  one  of 
the  loyal  guardians  of  her  anxious  little  circle) 
— if  you  think — but  of  course  you  do  not. 
That  is  so  completely  out  of  the  question  that  I 
have  never  given  it  consideration.  If  my  hus 
band  should  die — and  I  should  feel  terribly  if 
he  did — but  if  he  should,  while  I  was  still 
young,  I  might,  of  course,  love  another  man 
whose  tastes  were  exactly  like  my  own.  But 
Pd  never  betray  Howard — nor  myself — even 
in  thought." 

The  words  and  all  they  implied  might  have 
been  an  irresistible  challenge  to  another  man. 
But  to  Masters,  whose  career  was  inexorably 
mapped  out, — he  was  determined  that  his  own 
fame  and  that  of  California  should  be  syn 
chronous — and  who  fled  at  the  first  hint 
of  seduction  in  a  woman's  eyes,  they  came  as 


SLEEPING    FIRES  '67 

a  pleasurable  reassurance.  After  all,  mental 
companionship  with  a  woman  was  unique,  and  it 
was  quite  in  keeping  that  he  should  find  it  in 
this  unique  city  of  his  adoption.  Moreover,  it 
would  be  a  very  welcome  recreation  in  his  ener 
getic  life.  If  propinquity  began  to  sprout  its 
deadly  fruit  he  fancied  that  she  would  close  the 
episode  abruptly.  He  was  positive  that  he 
should,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  because  her 
husband  was  his  friend.  He  might  elope  with 
the  wife  of  a  friend  if  he  lost  his  head,  but  he 
would  never  dishonor  himself  in  the  secret  in 
trigue.  And  he  had  not  the  least  intention  of 
leaving  San  Francisco.  For  the  time  being 
they  were  safe.  It  was  like  picking  wild  flowers 
in  the  field  after  a  day's  hot  work. 

"Now,"  she  said  serenely,  "read  me  Tippa 
Passes.' " 


XIII 

"XTEVERTHELESS,  he  stayed  away  from 
JL  ^1  her  for  a  week.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  received  a  peremptory  little  note  bidding 
him  call  and  expound  Newman's  "Apologia"  to 
her.  She  could  not  understand  it  and  she  must. 

He  smiled  at  the  pretty  imperiousness  of  the 
note  so  like  herself;  for  her  circle  had  spoiled 
her,  and  whatever  her  husband's  idiosyncra 
sies  she  was  certainly  his  petted  darling. 

He  went,  of  course.  And  before  long  he  was 
spending  every  afternoon  in  the  charming 
room  so  like  a  French  salon  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century  that  the  raucous  sounds  of  San  Fran 
cisco  beyond  the  closed  and  curtained  windows 
beat  upon  it  faintly  like  the  distant  traffic  of  a 
great  city. 

Masters  had  asked  himself  humorously, 
Why  not?  and  succumbed.  There  was  no  other 
place  to  go  except  the  Club,  and  Mrs.  Talbot 
was  an  infinitely  more  interesting  companion 

68 


SLEEPING   FIRES  69 

than  men  who  discussed  little  besides  their 
business,  professional,  or  demi-monde  engross 
ments.  It  was  a  complete  relaxation  from  his 
own  driving  work.  He  was  writing  the  entire 
editorial  page  of  his  newspaper,  the  de 
mand  for  his  articles  from  Eastern  magazines 
and  weekly  journals  was  incessant;  which 
not  only  contributed  to  his  pride  and  income, 
but  to  the  glory  of  California.  He  was  making 
her  known  for  something  besides  gold,  gam 
blers,  and  Sierra  pines. 

But  above  all  he  was  instructing  and  expand 
ing  a  feminine  but  really  fine  mind.  She  sat  at 
his  feet  and  there  was  no  doubt  in  that  mind, 
both  naive  and  gifted,  that  his  was  the  most 
remarkable  intellect  in  the  world  and  that 
from  no  book  ever  written  could  she  learn  as 
much.  He  would  have  been  more  than  mortal 
had  he  renounced  his  pedestal  and  he  was  far 
too  humane  for  the  cruelty  of  depriving  her  of 
the  stimulating  happiness  he  had  brought  into 
her  lonely  life.  There  was  no  one,  man  or 
woman,  to  take  his  place. 

Nor  was  there  any  one  to  criticize.  The 
world  was  out  of  town.  They  lived  in  the 
same  hotel,  and  he  rarely  met  any  one  in 


70  SLEEPING    FIRES 

their  common  corrider.  At  first  she  men 
tioned  his  visits  casually  to  her  husband,  and 
Howard  grunted  approvingly.  Several  times 
he  took  Masters  snipe  shooting  in  the  marshes 
near  Ravenswood,  but  he  accepted  his  friend's 
attitude  to  his  wife  too  much  as  a  matter  of 
course  even  to  mention  it.  To  him,  a  far  better 
judge  of  men  than  of  women,  Langdon  Mas 
ters  was  ambition  epitomized,  and  if  he  won 
dered  why  such  a  man  wasted  time  in  any 
woman's  salon,  he  concluded  it  was  because,  like 
men  of  any  calling  but  his  own  (who  saw  far 
too  much  of  women  and  their  infernal  ailments) 
he  enjoyed  a  chat  now  and  then  with  as  charm 
ing  a  woman  of  the  world  as  Madeleine. 
If  anyone  had  suggested  that  Langdon  Mas 
ters  enjoyed  Madeleine's  intellect  he  would 
have  told  it  about  town  as  the  joke  of  the 
season. 

Madeleine  indulged  in  no  introspection.  She 
had  suffered  too  much  in  the  past  not  to  quaff 
eagerly  of  the  goblet  when  it  was  full  and  ask 
for  nothing  more.  If  she  paused  to  realize  how 
dependent  she  had  become  on  the  constant  so 
ciety  of  Langdon  Masters  and  that  literature 
was  now  no  more  than  the  background  of  life, 


SLEEPING    FIRES  71 

she  would  have  shrugged  her  shoulders  gaily 
and  admitted  that  she  was  having  a  mental 
flirtation,  and  that,  at  least,  was  as  original  as 
became  them  both.  They  were  safe.  The  code 
protected  them.  He  was  her  husband's  friend 
and  they  were  married.  What  was  was. 

But  in  truth  she  never  went  so  far  as  to  admit 
that  Masters  and  the  books  she  loved  were  not 
one  and  inseparable.  She  could  not  imagine 
herself  talking  with  him  for  long  on  any  other 
subject,  save,  perhaps,  the  politics  of  the  nation 
— which,  in  truth,  rather  bored  her.  As  for 
small  talk  she  would  as  readily  have  thought 
of  inflicting  the  Almighty  in  her  prayers. 

Nor  was  it  often  they  drifted  into  person 
alities  or  the  human  problems.  One  day,  how 
ever,  he  did  ask  her  tentatively  if  she  did  not 
think  that  divorce  was  justifiable  in  certain  cir 
cumstances. 

She  merely  stared  at  him  in  horror. 

"Well,  there  is  your  erstwhile  friend,  Sibyl 
Geary.  She  fell  in  love  with  another  man,  her 
husband  was  a  sot,  she  got  her  divorce  without 
legal  opposition,  and  married  Forbes — finest 
kind  of  fellow." 

"Divorce  is  against  the  canons  of  Church  and 


72  SLEEPING    FIRES 

Society.  No  woman  should  break  her  solemn 
vows,  no  matter  what  her  provocation.  Look 
at  Maria  Groome.  Do  you  think  she  would 
divorce  Alexander?  She  has  provocation 
enough." 

"You  are  both  High  Church,  but  all  women 
are  not.  Mrs.  Geary  is  a  mere  Presbyte 
rian.  And  at  least  she  is  as  happy  as  she  was 
wretched  before." 

"No  woman  can  be  happy  who  has  lost  the 
respect  of  Society." 

"  I  thought  you  were  bored  with  Society." 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  mine  to  have.  Being  bored 
is  quite  different  from  being  cast  out  like  a 
pariah." 

"  Oh !  And  you  think  love  a  poor  substi 
tute  ?  " 

"  Love,  of  course,  is  the  most  wonderful 
thing  in  the  world.  (She  might  be  talking  of 
maternal  or  filial  love,  thought  Masters.) 
But  it  must  have  the  sanction  of  one's  principles, 
one's  creed  and  one's  traditions.  Otherwise, 
it  weighs  nothing  in  the  balance." 

"  You  are  a  delectable  little  Puritan,"  said 
Masters  with  a  laugh  that  was  not  wholly 
mirthful.  "  I  shall  now  read  you  Tennyson's 


SLEEPING    FIRES  73 

'  Maud,'  as  you  approve  of  sentiment,  at 
least.  Tennyson  will  never  cause  the  downfall 
of  any  woman,  but  if  you  ever  see  lightning  on 
the  horizon  don't  read  *  The  Statue  and  the 
Bust '  with  the  battery  therof ." 


XIV 

WHEN  people  returned  to  town  they 
were  astonished  at  the  change  in 
Madeleine  Talbot,  especially  after  a  summer  in 
the  city  that  would  have  "  torn  their  own 
nerves  out  by  the  roots."  More  than  one  had 
wondered  anxiously  if  she  were  going  into  the 
decline  so  common  in  those  days.  They  had 
known  the  cause  of  the  broken  spring,  but  none 
save  the  incurably  sanguine  opined  that  How 
ard  Talbot  had  mended  it.  But  mended  it  was 
and  her  eyes  had  never  sparkled  so  gaily,  nor 
her  laugh  rung  so  lightly  since  her  first  winter 
among  them.  Mrs.  McLane  suggested  char 
itably  that  her  tedium  vitae  had  run  its  course 
and  she  was  become  a  philosopher. 

But  Madeleine  reviva  did  not  suggest  the 
philosopher  to  the  most  charitable  eye  (not 
even  to  Mrs.  McLane's),  particularly  as  there 
was  a  "something"  about  her  —  was  it  re 
pressed  excitement  ?  —  which  had  been  quite 
absent  from  her  old  self,  however  vivacious. 

74 


SLEEPING    FIRES  75 

It  was  Mrs.  Abbott,  a  lady  of  unquenchable 
virtue,  whose  tongue  was  more  feared  than  that 
of  any  woman  in  San  Francisco,  who  first  ver 
balized  what  every  friend  of  Madeleine's  se 
cretly  wondered:  Was  there  a  man  in  the  case  ? 
Many  loyally  cried,  Impossible.  Madeleine 
was  above  suspicion.  Above  suspicion,  yes. 
No  one  would  accuse  her  of  a  liaison.  But  who 
was  she  or  any  other  neglected  young  wife  to 
be  above  falling  in  love  if  some  fascinating 
creature  laid  sieger  Love  dammed  up  was 
apt  to  spring  a  leak  in  time,  even  if  it  did  not 
overflow,  and  —  well,  it  was  known  that  water 
sought  its  level,  even  if  it  could  not  run  uphill. 
Mrs.  Abbott  had  lived  for  twenty  years  in  San 
Francisco,  and  in  New  Orleans  for  thirty  years 
before  that,  and  she  had  seen  a  good  many  wo 
men  in  love  in  her  time.  This  climate  made 
a  plaything  of  virtue.  "Virtue  —  you  said? 
—  Precisely.  She's  not  there  or  we'd  see  the 
signs  of  moral  struggle,  horror,  in  fact}  for 
she's  not  one  to  succumb  easily.  But  mark  my 
words,  she's  en  the  way." 

That  point  settled,  and  it  was  vastly  inter 
esting  to  believe  it  (Madeleine  Talbot,  of  all 
people!),  who  was  the  man  ?  Duty  to  mun- 


76  SLEEPING    FIRES 

dane  affairs  had  kept  many  of  the  liveliest 
blades  and  prowling  husbands  in  town  all  sum 
mer;  but  Madeleine  had  known  them  all  for 
three  years  or  more.  Besides,  So  and  So  was 
engaged  to  So  and  So,  and  So  and  So  quite 
reprehensibly  interested  in  Mrs.  So  and  So. 

The  young  gentlemen  were  discreetly 
sounded,  but  their  lack  of  anything  deeper 
than  friendly  interest  in  the  "  loveliest  of  her 
sex  "  was  manifest.  Husbands  were  ordered 
to  retail  the  gossip  of  the  Club,  but  exploded 
with  fury  when  tactful  pumping  forced  up  the 
name  of  Madeleine  Talbot.  They  were  har 
ridans,  harpies,  old-wives,  infernal  scandal 
mongers.  If  there  was  one  completely  blame 
less  woman  in  San  Francisco  it  was  Howard 
Talbot's  wife. 

No  one  thought  of  Langdon  Masters. 

He  appeared  more  rarely  at  dinners,  and 
had  never  ventured  in  public  with  Madeleine 
even  during  the  summer.  When  his  acute 
news  sense  divined  they  were  gossiping  and 
speculating  about  her  he  took  alarm  and  con 
sidered  the  wisdom  of  discontinuing  his  after 
noon  visits.  But  they  had  become  as  much  a 
part  of  his  life  as  his  daily  bread.  Moreover,  he 


SLEEPING    FIRES  77 

could  not  withdraw  without  giving  the  reason, 
and  it  was  a  more  intimate  subject  than  he  cared 
to  discuss  with  her.  Whether  he  was  in  love 
with  her  or  not  was  a  question  he  deliberately 
refused  to  face.  If  the  present  were  destroyed 
there  was  no  future  to  take  its  place,  and  he 
purposed  to  live  in  his  Fool's  Paradise  as  long 
as  he  could.  It  was  an  excellent  substitute  for 
tragedy. 

But  Society  soon  began  to  notice  that  she  no 
longer  honored  kettledrums  or  the  more 
formal  afternoon  receptions  with  her  presence, 
and  her  calls  were  few  and  late.  When  atten 
tive  friends  called  on  her  she  was  "  out." 
The  clerk  at  the  desk  had  been  asked  to  pro 
tect  her,  as  she  "  must  rest  in  the  afternoon." 
He  suspected  nothing  and  her  word  was  his 
law. 

When  quizzed,  Madeleine  replied  laugh 
ingly  that  she  could  keep  her  restored  health 
only  by  curtailing  her  social  activities;  but  she 
blushed,  for  lying  came  hardly.  As  calling  was 
a  serious  business  in  San  Francisco,  she  com 
promised  by  the  ancient  clearing-house  device 
of  an  occasional  large  "  At  Home,"  besides  her 
usual  dinners  and  luncheons.  When  Masters 


78  SLEEPING    FIRES 

was  a  dinner  guest  he  paid  her  only  the  polite 
attentions  due  a  hostess  and  flirted  elaborately 
with  the  prettiest  of  the  women.  Madeleine, 
who  was  unconscious  of  the  gossip,  was  some 
times  a  little  hurt,  and  when  he  avoided  her  at 
other  functions  and  was  far  too  attentive  to 
Sally  Ballinger,  or  Annette  McLane,  a  beauti 
ful  girl  just  out,  she  had  an  odd  palpitation  and 
wondered  what  ailed  her.  Jealous  ?  Well, 
perhaps.  Friends  of  the  same  sex  were  often 
jealous.  Had  not  Sally  been  jealous  at  one 
time  of  poor  Sibyl  Geary  ?  And  Masters  was 
the  most  complete  friend  a  woman  ever  had. 
She  thought  sadly  that  perhaps  he  had  enough 
of  her  in  the  afternoon  and  welcomed  a  change. 
Well,  that  was  natural  enough.  She  found 
herself  enjoying  the  society  of  other  bright 
men  at  dinners,  now  that  life  was  fair  again. 

Nevertheless,  she  experienced  a  sensation  of 
fright  now  and  again,  and  not  because  she 
feared  to  lose  him. 


XV 


THERE  is  nothing  so  carking  as  the  pangs 
of  unsatisfied  curiosity.  They  may  not 
cause  the  acute  distress  of  love  and  hate,  but 
no  tooth  ever  ached  more  incessantly  nor  more 
insistently  demanded  relief.  That  doughty 
warrior,  Mrs.  Abbott,  in  her  own  homely  lan 
guage  determined  to  take  the  bull  by  the  horns. 
She  sailed  into  the  Occidental  Hotel  one  after 
noon  and  up  the  stairs  without  pausing  at  the 
desk.  The  clerk  gave  her  a  cursory  glance. 
Mrs.  Abbott  went  where  she  listed,  and,  more 
over,  was  obviously  expected. 

When  she  reached  the  Talbot  parlor  she 
halted  a  moment,  and  then  knocked  loudly. 
Madeleine,  who  often  received  parcels,  inno 
cently  invited  entrance.  Mrs.  Abbott  promptly 
accepted  the  invitation  and  walked  in  upon 
Masters  and  his  hostess  seated  before  the  fire. 
The  former  had  a  book  in  his  hand,  and,  judg 
ing  from  the  murmur  that  had  penct 
her  applied  ear  before  announcing  herself,  h;id 

79 


80  SLEEPING    FIRES 

been  reading  aloud.  ("  As  cozy  as  two  bugs  in 
a  rug,"  she  told  her  friends  afterward.) 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Abbott!  How  kind  of  you!  " 
Madeleine  was  annoyed  to  find  herself  blush 
ing,  but  she  kept  her  head  and  entered  into  no 
explanation.  Masters,  with  his  most  politely 
aloof  air,  handed  the  smiling  guest  to  the  sofa, 
and  as  she  immediately  announced  that  the 
room  was  too  warm  for  her,  Madeleine  re 
moved  her  dolman.  Mrs.  Abbott  as  ever  was 
clad  in  righteous  black  satin  trimmed  with  bu 
gles  and  fringe,  and  a  small  flat  bonnet  whose 
strings  indifferently  supported  her  chins.  She 
fixed  her  sharp  small  eyes  immediately  on 
Madeleine's  beautiful  house  gown  of  nile 
green  camel's  hair,  made  with  her  usual  sweep 
ing  lines  and  without  trimming  of  any  sort. 

"  Charming  —  charming  —  and  so  becoming 
with  that  lovely  color  you  have.  New  York,  I 
suppose  —  " 

"  Oh,  no,  a  seamstress  made  it.  You  must 
let  me  get  you  cake  and  a  glass  of  wine."  The 
unwilling  hostess  crossed  over  to  the  hospitable 
cupboard  and  Mrs.  Abbott  amiably  accepted  a 
glass  of  port,  the  while  her  eyes  could  hardly 
tear  themselves  from  the  books  on  the  table  by 


SLEEPING    FIRES  81 

the  fire.  There  were  at  least  a  dozen  of  them 
and  her  astute  old  mind  leapt  straight  at  the 
truth. 

"  I  thought  you  had  given  all  your  books  to 
the  Mercantile  Library,"  she  remarked  wonder- 
ingly.  "  We  all  thought  it  so  hard  on  you,  but 
Howard  is  set  in  his  ways,  poor  old  thing. 
He  was  much  too  old  for  you  anyhow.  I  al 
ways  said  so.  But  I  see  he  has  relented.  Have 
you  been  patronizing  C.  Beach  ?  Nice  little 
book  store.  I  go  there  myself  at  Christmas 
time  —  get  a  set  in  nice  bindings  for  one  of  the 
children  every  year." 

"  Oh,  these  are  borrowed,"  said  Madeleine 
lightly.  "  Mr.  Masters  has  been  kind  enough 
to  lend  them  to  me." 

"  Oh  —  h  —  h,  naughty  puss!  What  would 
Howard  say  if  he  found  you  out?  " 

Masters,  who  stood  on  the  hearth  rug,  looked 
down  at  her  with  an  expression,  which,  she  af 
terward  confessed,  sent  shivers  up  her  spine. 
"Talbot  is  a  great  friend  of  mine,"  he  said 
with  deliberate  emphasis,  "  and  not  likely  to 
object  to  his  wife's  sharing  my  library." 

"  Don't  be  too  sure.  The  whole  town  knows 
that  Howard  detests  bluestockings  and  would 


82  SLEEPING    FIRES 

rather  his  wife  had  a  good  honest  flirtation 
than  stuffed  her  brains.  .  .  .  Pretty  little 
head."  She  tweaked  Madeleine's  scarlet  ear. 
"  Mustn't  put  too  much  in  it." 

"  I'm  afraid  it  doesn't  hold  much,"  said 
Madeleine  smiling;  and  fancied  she  heard 
a  bell  in  her  depths  toll:  "  It's  going  to 
end!  It's  going  to  end!  "  And  for  the  first 
time  in  her  life  she  felt  like  fainting. 

She  went  hurriedly  over  to  the  cupboard  and 
poured  herself  out  a  glass  of  port  wine.  "  I 
had  almost  forgotten  my  tonic,"  she  said.  "  It 
has  made  me  quite  well  again." 

"  Your  improvement  is  nothing  short  of 
miraculous,"  said  the  old  lady  drily.  "  It  is 
the  talk  of  the  town.  But  you  are  ungrateful 
if  you  don't  give  all  those  interesting  books 
some  of  the  credit.  I  hope  Howard  is  properly 
grateful  to  Mr.  Masters.  ...  By  the  way,  my 
young  friend,  the  men  complain  that  you  are 
never  seen  at  the  Club  during  the  afternoon 
any  more.  That  is  ungrateful,  if  you  like  !  - 
for  they  all  think  you  are  the  brightest  man  out 
here,  and  would  rather  hear  you  talk  than 
eat  —  or  drink,  which  is  more  to  the  point. 
Now,  I  must  go,  dear.  I  won't  intrude  any 


SLEEPING    FIRES  83 

longer.  It  has  been  delightful,  meeting  two 
such  clever  people  at  once.  You  are  coming  to 
my  i  At  Home  '  tomorrow.  I  won't  take  no 
for  an  answer." 

There  was  a  warning  note  in  her  voice.  Her 
pointed  remarks  had  not  been  inspired  by  sheer 
felinity.  It  was  her  purpose  to  let  Madeleine 
know  that  she  was  in  danger  of  scandal  or 
worse,  and  that  the  sooner  she  scrambled  back 
to  terra  firma  the  better.  Of  course  she  could 
not  refrain  from  an  immediate  round  of  calls 
upon  impatient  friends,  but  she  salved  her  con 
science  by  asserting  roundly  (and  with  entire 
honesty)  that  there  was  nothing  in  it  as  yet. 
She  had  seen  too  much  of  the  world  to  be  de 
ceived  on  that  point. 


XVI 

AFTER  MASTERS  had  assisted  Mrs.  Ab 
bott's  large  bulk  into  her  barouche,  re 
sisting  the  impulse  to  pitch  it  in  headfirst,  he 
walked  slowly  up  the  stairs.  He  was  seething 
with  fury,  and  he  was  also  aghast.  The  woman 
had  unquestionably  precipitated  the  crisis  he 
had  hoped  to  avoid.  To  use  her  favorite  ex 
pression,  the  fat  was  in  the  fire;  and  she  would 
see  to  it  that  it  was  maintained  at  sizzling  point. 
He  ground  his  teeth  as  he  thought  of  the  infer 
ences,  the  innuendos,  the  expectations,  the  con 
stant  linking  of  his  name  with  Madeleine's. 
Madeleine  ! 

It  was  true,  of  course,  that  the  gossip  might 
stop  short  of  scandal  if  she  entered  the  after 
noon  treadmill  once  more  and  showed  herself 
so  constantly  that  the  most  malignant  must  ad 
mit  that  she  had  no  time  for  dalliance;  it  was 
well  known  that  he  spent  the  morning  and  late 
afternoon  hours  at  the  office. 

But  that  would  mean  that  he  must  give  her 
84 


SLEEPING    FIRES  85 

up.  She  was  the  last  woman  to  consent  to 
stolen  meetings,  even  were  he  to  suggest  them, 
for  the  raison  d'etre  of  their  companionship 
would  be  gone.  And  that  phase  could  end  in 
but  one  way. 

What  a  dreamer  he  had  been,  he,  a  man  of 
the  world,  to  imagine  that  such  an  idyll  could 
last.  Perhaps  four  perfect  months  were  as 
much  as  a  man  had  any  right  to  ask  of  life. 
Nevertheless,  he  experienced  not  the  slightest 
symptom  of  resignation.  He  felt  reckless 
enough  to  throw  his  future  to  the  winds,  kidnap 
Madeleine,  and  take  the  next  boat  to  South 
America.  But  his  unclouded  mind  drove  inex 
orably  to  the  end:  her  conscience  and  unre 
mitting  sense  of  disgrace  would  work  the  com 
plete  un  happiness  of  both.  Divorce  was 
equally  out  of  the  question. 

As  he  approached  her  door  he  felt  a  strong 
inclination  to  pass  it  and  defer  the  inevitable 
interview  until  the  morrow.  He  must  step 
warily  with  her  as  with  the  world,  and  he 
needed  all  his  self-control.  If  he  lost  his  head 
and  told  her  that  he  loved  her  he  would  not 
save  a  crumb  from  his  feast.  Moreover,  there 
was  the  possibility  of  revealing  her  to  herself 


86  SLEEPING    FIRES 

if  she  loved  him,  and  that  would  mean  utter 
misery  for  her. 

Did  she  ?  He  walked  hastily  past  her  door. 
His  coolly  reasoning  brain  felt  suddenly  full  of 
hot  vapors. 

Then  he  cursed  himself  for  a  coward  and 
turned  back.  She  would  feel  herself  deserted 
in  her  most  trying  hour,  for  she  needed  a  reas 
suring  friend  at  this  moment  if  never  before. 
He  had  rarely  failed  to  keep  his  head  when  he 
chose  and  he  would  keep  it  now. 

But  when  he  entered  the  room  his  self- 
command  was  put  to  a  severe  test.  She  was 
huddled  in  a  chair  crying,  and  although  he 
scoffed  at  woman's  tears  as  roundly  as  Dr.  Tal- 
bot,  they  never  failed  to  rain  on  the  softest  spot 
in  his  nature.  But  he  walked  directly  to  the 
hearth  rug  and  lit  a  cigarette. 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  letting  that  old  cat 
worry  you."  He  managed  to  infuse  his  tones 
with  an  amiable  contempt. 

But  Madeleine  only  cried  the  harder. 

"  Come,  come.  Of  course  you  are  bruised, 
you  are  such  a  sensitive  little  plant,  but  you 
know  what  women  are,  and  more  especially 
that  old  woman.  But  even  she  cannot  find 


SLEEPING    FIRES  87 

much  to  gossip  about  in  the  fact  that  you  were 
receiving  an  afternoon  caller." 

"  It  —  is  —  is  —  n't  —  only  that  !  " 

«  What,  then?  " 

"I  —  I'll  be  back  in  a  moment." 

She  ran  into  her  bedroom,  and  Masters  took 
a  batch  of  proofs  from  his  pocket  and  deliber 
ately  read  them  during  the  ten  minutes  of  her 
absence.  When  she  returned  she  had  bathed  her 
eyes,  and  looked  quite  composed.  In  truth  she 
had  taken  sal  volatile,  and  if  despair  was  still 
in  her  soul  her  nerves  no  longer  jangled. 

He  rose  to  hand  her  a  chair,  but  she  shook 
her  head  and  walked  over  to  the  window,  then 
returned  and  stood  by  the  table,  leaning  on  it 
as  if  to  steady  herself. 

"  Shall  I  get  you  a  glass  of  port  wine  ?  " 

"  Noj  more  than  one  goes  to  my  head." 

He  threw  the  proofs  on  the  table  and  re 
treated  to  the  hearth-rug. 

"  I  suppose  this  means  that  you  must  not 
come  here  any  more  ?  " 

"  Does  it  ?  Are  you  going  to  turn  me  adrift 
to  bore  myself  at  the  Club  ?  " 

li  Oh,  men  have  so  many  resources  !  And 
j  >u  who  have  given  all.  I  had  nothing  to 
give  you." 


88  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  You  forget,  my  dear  Mrs.  Talbot,  that 
man  is  never  so  flattered  as  when  some  woman 
thinks  him  an  oracle.  Besides,  although  yours 
is  the  best  mind  in  any  pretty  woman's  head  I 
know  of  -  -  in  any  woman's  head  for  that 
matter  —  you  still  have  much  to  learn,  and  I 
should  feel  very  jealous  if  you  learned  it  else 
where." 

"  Oh,  I  could  learn  from  books,  I  suppose. 
There  are  many  more  in  the  world  than  I 
shall  ever  be  able  to  read.  But  —  well,  I  had 
a  friend  for  the  first  time  —  the  kind  of  friend 
I  wanted." 

"  You  are  in  no  danger  of  losing  him.  I 
haven't  the  least  intention  of  giving  you  up. 
Real  friendships  are  too  rare,  especially  those 
founded  on  mental  sympathy,  and  a  man's  life 
is  barren  indeed  when  his  friends  are  only 
men." 

"  Have  you  had  any  woman  friends  be 
fore  ?  "  Her  eyelids  were  lowered  but  she  shot 
him  a  swift  glance. 

"  Well  —  no  —  to  be  honest,  I  cannot  say  I 
have.  Flirtations  and  all  that,  yes.  During 
the  last  eight  years,  between  the  war  and  earn 
ing  my  bread,  I've  had  little  time.  Everything 


SLEEPING    FIRES  89 

went,  of  course.  I  wrote  for  a  while  for  a 
Richmond  paper  and  then  went  to  New  York. 
That  was  hard  sledding  for  a  time  and  South 
erners  are  not  welcome  in  New  York  Society. 
If  I  bore  you  with  my  personal  affairs  it  is 
merely  to  give  you  a  glimpse  of  a  rather  arid 
life,  and,  perhaps,  some  idea  of  how  pleasant 
and  profitable  I  have  found  our  friendship." 

She  drooped  her  head.  He  ground  his  teeth 
and  lit  another  cigarette.  His  hand  trembled 
but  his  tones  were  even  and  formal. 

"  I  shall  go  to  Mrs.  Abbott's  tomorrow." 

"  Quite  right.  And  if  a  man  strays  in  flirt 
with  him  —  if  you  know  how." 

"  There  are  four  other  At  Homes  and  kettle 
drums  this  week  and  I  shall  go  to  those  also. 
I  don't  know  that  I  mind  silly  gossip,  but  it 
would  not  be  fair  to  Howard.  I  shouldn't  like 
to  put  him  in  the  position  of  some  men  in  this 
town;  although  they  seem  to  console  them 
selves!  But  Howard  is  not  like  that." 

"  Not  he.  The  best  fellow  in  the  world.  I 
think  your  program  admirable."  He  saw  that 
he  was  trying  her  too  far  and  added  hastily: 
"It  would  be  rather  amusing  to  circumvent 
them,  and  it  certainly  would  not  amuse  me  to 


90  SLEEPING    FIRES 

lose  your  charming  companionship.  I  have 
fallen  into  the  habit  of  imposing  myself  upon 
you  from  three  until  five  or  half-past.  Per 
haps  you  will  admit  me  shortly  after  lunch 
and  let  me  hang  round  until  you  are  ready  to 
go  out  r  " 

She  looked  up  with  faintly  sparkling  eyesj 
then  her  face  fell. 

"  There  are  so  many  luncheons." 

"  But  surely  not  every  day.  You  could  re 
fuse  the  informal  affairs  on  the  plea  of  a 
previous  engagement,  and  give  me  the  list  of 
the  inevitable  ones  the  first  of  the  week.  And 
at  least  you  are  free  from  impertinent  intrusion 
before  three  o'clock." 

"  Yes,  I'll  do  that  !  I  will  !  It  will  be 
better  than  nothing." 

"  Oh,  a  long  sight  better.  And  nothing  can 
alter  the  procession  of  the  seasons.  Summer 
will  arrive  again  in  due  course,  and  if  your 
friends  are  not  far  more  interested  in  something 
else  by  that  time  it  is  hardly  likely  that  even 
Mrs.  Abbott  will  sacrifice  the  comforts  of  Alta 
to  spy  on  any  one." 

"  Not  she  !  She  has  asthma  in  San  Francisco 
in  summer."  Madeleine  spoke  gaily,  but  she 


SLEEPING    FIRES  91 

avoided  his  eyes.  Whether  he  was  maintaining 
a  pose  or  not  she  could  only  guess,  but  she  had 
one  of  her  own  to  keep  up. 

"  You  must  have  thought  me  very  silly  to 
cry  —  but  —  these  people  have  all  been  quite 
angelic  to  me  before,  and  Mrs.  Abbott  de 
scended  upon  me  like  the  Day  of  Judgment." 

"  I  should  think  she  did,  the  old  she-devil, 
and  if  you  hadn't  cried  you  wouldn't  have  been 
a  true  woman  !  But  we  have  a  good  half  hour 
left.  I'd  like  to  read  you  —  " 

At  this  moment  Dr.  Talbot's  loud  voice  was 
heard  in  the  hall. 

"  All  right.    See  you  later.    Sorry  —  " 


XVII 

MADELEINE  caught  at  the  edge  of  the 
table.  Had  he  met  Mrs.  Abbott  ? 
But  even  in  this  moment  of  consternation  she 
avoided  a  glance  of  too  intimate  understanding 
with  Masters.  She  was  reassured  immediately, 
however.  The  Doctor  burst  into  the  room  and 
exclaimed  jovially: 

"  You  here  ?  What  luck.  Thought  you 
would  be  at  some  infernal  At  Home  or  other. 
Just  got  a  call  to  San  Jose  —  consultation  — 
must  take  the  next  train.  Come,  help  me  pack. 
Hello,  Masters.  If  Pd  had  time  Pd  have 
looked  you  up.  Got  some  news  for  you. 
Wait  a  moment." 

He  disappeared  into  his  bedroom  and  Made 
leine  followed.  He  had  not  noticed  the  books 
and  Masters'  first  impulse  was  to  gather  them 
up  and  replace  them  in  the  chest.  But  he  sat 
down  to  his  proofs  instead.  The  Doctor 
returned  in  a  few  moments. 

"  Madeleine  will  finish.     She's  a  wonder  at 
92 


SLEEPING    FIRES  93 

packing.  Hello!  What's  this?  "  He  had 
caught  sight  of  the  books. 

"  Some  of  mine.  Mrs.  Talbot  expressed  a 
wish  —  " 

"  Why  in  thunder  don't  you  call  her  Made 
leine?  You're  as  much  her  friend  as  mine.  .  .  . 
Well,  I  don't  mind  as  much  as  I  did,  for  I 
find  women  are  all  reading  more  than  they 
used  to,  and  I'm  bound  to  say  they  don't  have 
the  blues  while  a  good  novel  lasts.  Ouida's  a 
pretty  good  dose  and  lasts  about  a  week.  But 
don't  give  her  too  much  serious  stuif.  It  will 
only  addle  her  brains." 

"  Oh,  she  has  very  good  brains.  Mrs. 
Abbott  was  here  just  now,  and  although  she  is 
not  what  I  should  call  literary  —  or  too  lit 
erate  —  she  seemed  to  think  your  wife  was  just 
the  sort  of  woman  who  should  read." 

"  Mrs.  Abbott's  a  damned  old  nuisance. 
You  must  have  been  overjoyed  at  the  interrup 
tion.  But  if  Madeleine  has  to  put  on  pince- 
nez  —  " 

"  Oh,  never  fear!  "  Madeleine  was  smiling 
radiantly  as  she  entered.  Her  volatile  spirits 
were  soaring.  "  My  eyes  are  the  strongest  part 
of  me.  What  did  you  have  to  tell  Mr.  Mas 
ters  ?  " 


94  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  Jove  !  I'd  almost  forgotten,  and  it's  great 
news,  too.  What  would  you  say,  Masters,  to 
editing  a  paper  of  your  own  ?  " 

"  What  ?  " 

"  There's  a  conspiracy  abroad  —  I  won't 
deny  I  had  a  hand  in  it  —  no  light  under  the 
bushel  for  me  —  to  raise  the  necessary  capital 
and  have  a  really  first-class  newspaper  in  this 
town.  San  Francisco  deserves  the  best,  and  if 
we've  had  nothing  but  rags,  so  far  —  barring 
poor  James  King  of  William's  Bulletin  —  it's 
because  we've  never  had  a  man  before  big 
enough  to  edit  a  great  one." 

"  I  have  no  words  !  It  is  almost  too  good 
to  be  true  !  " 

Madeleine  watched  him  curiously.  His  voice 
was  trembling  and  his  eyes  were  flashing.  He 
was  tall  but  had  drawn  himself  up  in  his  excite 
ment  and  seemed  quite  an  inch  taller.  He 
looked  about  to  wave  a  sword  and  lead  a  charge. 
Establishing  a  newspaper  meant  a  hard  fight 
and  he  was  eager  for  the  fray. 

She  had  had  but  few  opportunities  to  study 
him  in  detail  unobserved.  She  had  never 
thought  him  handsome,  for  he  was  clean 
shaven,  with  deep  vertical  lines,  and  he  wore 


SLEEPING    FIRES  95 

his  black  hair  very  short.  Her  preference  was 
for  fair  men  with  drooping  moustaches  and 
locks  sweeping  the  collar  j  although  her  admir 
ation  for  this  somewhat  standardized  type  had 
so  far  been  wholly  impersonal.  Even  the  doc 
tor  clipped  his  moustache  as  it  interfered  with 
his  soup,  and  his  rusty  brown  hair  was  straight, 
although  of  the  orthodox  length.  But  she  had 
not  married  Howard  for  his  looks  ! 

She  noted  the  hard  line  of  jaw  and  sharp 
incisive  profile.  His  face  had  power  as  well  as 
intellect,  yet  there  was  a  hint  of  weakness  some 
where.  Possibly  the  lips  of  his  well-cut  mouth 
were  a  trifle  too  firmly  set  to  be  unselfcon- 
scious.  And  his  broad  forehead  lacked  seren 
ity.  There  was  a  furrow  between  the  eyes. 

It  was  with  the  eyes  she  was  most  familiar. 
They  were  gray,  brilliant,  piercing,  wide  apart 
and  deeply  set.  She  had  noted  more  than  once 
something  alert,  watchful,  in  their  expression, 
as  if  they  were  the  guardians  of  the  intellect 
above  and  defied  the  weakness  the  lower  part 
of  his  face  barely  hinted  to  clash  for  a  moment 
with  his  ambitions. 

She  heard  little  of  his  rapid  fire  of  questions 
and  Howard's  answers j  but  when  the  doctor 


96  SLEEPING    FIRES 

had  pulled  out  his  watch,  kissed  her  hurriedly, 
snatched  his  bag  and  dashed  from  the  room, 
Masters  took  her  hands  in  his,  his  eyes  glowing. 

"  Did  you  hear?  "  he  cried.  "  Did  you 
hear  ?  I  am  to  have  my  own  newspaper.  My 
dream  has  come  true  !  A  hundred  thousand 
dollars  are  promised.  I  shall  have  as  good  a 
news  service  as  any  in  New  York." 

Madeleine  withdrew  her  hands  but  smiled 
brightly  and  made  him  a  pretty  speech  of 
congratulation.  She  knew  little  of  news 
papers  and  cared  less,  but  there  must  be  some 
thing  extraordinary  about  owning  one  to  excite 
a  man  like  Langdon  Masters.  She  had  never 
seen  him  excited  before. 

"  Won't  it  mean  a  great  deal  harder  work  ?" 

"  Oh,  work  !  I  thrive  on  work.  I've  never 
had  enough.  Come  and  sit  down.  Let  me  talk 
to  you.  Let  me  be  egotistical  and  talk  about 
myself.  Let  me  tell  you  all  my  pent-up  am 
bitions  and  hopes  and  desires  —  you  wonder 
ful  little  Egeria!  " 

And  he  poured  himself  out  to  her  as  he 
had  never  unbosomed  himself  before.  He 
stayed  on  to  dinner  —  she  had  no  engagement 
—  and  left  her  only  for  the  office.  He  had 


SLEEPING    FIRES  97 

evidently  forgotten  the  earlier  episode,  and  he 
swept  it  from  her  own  mind.  That  mind, 
subtle,  feminine,  yielding,  melted  into  his. 
She  shared  those  ambitions  and  hopes  and  de 
sires.  His  brilliant  and  useful  future  was  as 
real  and  imperative  to  her  as  to  himself.  It 
was  a  new,  a  wonderful,  a  thrilling  experience. 
When  she  went  to  bed,  smiling  and  happy, 
she  slammed  a  little  door  in  her  mind  and  shot 
the  bolt.  A  terrible  fear  had  shaken  her  three 
hours  before,  but  she  refused  to  recall  it.  Once 
more  the  present  sufficed. 


XVIII 

MADELEINE  went  to  Mrs.  Abbott's 
reception,  but  there  was  nothing  concili 
atory  nor  apologetic  in  her  mien.  She  had  in 
tended  to  be  merely  natural,  but  when  she  met 
that  battery  of  eyes,  amused,  mocking,  sympa 
thetic,  encouraging,  and  realized  that  Mrs. 
Abbott's  tongue  had  been  wagging,  she  was 
filled  with  an  anger  and  resentment  that  ex 
pressed  itself  in  a  cold  pride  of  bearing  and  a 
militant  sparkle  of  the  eye.  She  was  gracious 
and  aloof  and  Mrs.  McLane  approved  her 
audibly. 

"  Exactly  as  I  should  feel  and  look  myself," 
she  said  to  Mrs.  Ballinger  and  Guadalupe 
Hathaway.  "  She's  a  royal  creature  and  she 
has  moved  in  the  great  world.  No  wonder  she 
resents  the  petty  gossip  of  this  village." 

"  Well,  I'll  acquit  her,"  said  Mrs.  Ballinger 
tartly.  "  A  more  cold-blooded  and  unattractive 
man  I've  never  met." 

"  Langdon  Masters  is  by  no  means  un- 
98 


SLEEPING    FIRES  99 

attractive,"  announced  Miss  Hathaway  out  of 
her  ten  years'  experience  as  a  belle  and  an  un 
conscionable  flirt.  "  I  have  sat  in  the  conserva 
tory  with  him  several  times.  It  may  be  that 
Mrs.  Abbott  stepped  in  before  it  was  too  late. 
And  it  may  be  that  she  did  not." 

"  Oh,  call  no  woman  virtuous  until  she  is 
dead,"  said  Mrs.  McLane  lightly.  "But  I 
won't  hear  another  insinuation  against  Made 
leine  Talbot." 

Mrs.  Abbott  kissed  the  singed  brand  it  had 
been  her  mission  to  snatch  in  the  nick  of  time 
and  detained  her  in  conversation  with  unusual 
empressement.  Madeleine  responded  with  an 
dcessive  politeness,  and  Mrs.  Abbott  learned 
for  the  first  time  that  sweet  brown  eyes  could 
glitter  as  coldly  as  her  own  protuberant  orbs 
when  pronouncing  judgment. 

Madeleine  remained  for  two  hours,  bored 
and  disgusted,  the  more  as  Masters'  name  was 
ostentatiously  avoided.  Even  Sally  Ballinger, 
who  kissed  her  warmly,  told  her  that  she 
looked  as  if  she  hadn't  a  care  in  the  world  and 
that  it  was  because  she  had  too  much  sense  to 
bother  about  men! 

She    had    never    been    treated    with    more 


ioo  SLEEPING    FIRES 

friendly  intimacy,  and  if  she  went  home  with  a 
headache  it  was  at  least  a  satisfaction  to  know 
that  her  proud  position  was  still  scandal-proof. 
She  wisely  modified  her  first  program  and 
drifted  back  into  afternoon  society  by  degrees ; 
a  plan  of  defensive  campaign  highly  approved 
by  Mrs.  McLane,  who  detested  lack  of  finesse. 
The  winter  was  an  unsatisfactory  one  for 
Madeleine  altogether.  Society  would  not  have 
bored  her  so  much  perhaps  if  that  secret  en 
chanting  background  had  remained  intact.  But 
her  intercourse  with  Masters  was  necessarily 
sporadic.  Her  conscience  had  never  troubled 
her  for  receiving  his  visits,  for  her  husband 
not  only  had  expressed  his  approval,  but  had 
always  urged  her  to  amuse  herself  with  men. 
But  she  felt  like  an  intriguante  when  she  dis 
cussed  her  engagement  lists  with  Masters,  and 
she  knew  that  he  liked  it  as  little.  His  visits 
were  now  a  matter  for  "  sandwiching,"  to  be 
schemed  and  planned  for,  and  she  dared  not 
ask  herself  whether  the  persistent  sense  of  fear 
that  haunted  her  was  that  they  both  must  be 
tray  self -consciousness  in  time,  or  that  the  more 
difficult  order  would  bore  him:  their  earlier  in 
timacy  had  coincided  with  his  hours  of  leisure. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  101 

After  all,  he  was  not  her  lover,  to  delight  in 
intrigue  j  and  in  time,  it  might  be,  he  would  not 
think  the  game  worth  tha  candle.  She  dreaded 
that  revived  gossip  might  drive  him  from  the 
hotel,  and  that  would  be  the  miserable  begin 
ning  of  an  unthinkable  end. 

There  were  other  interruptions.  He  paid 
a  flying  visit  to  Richmond  to  visit  the  death-bed 
of  his  mother,  and  he  took  a  trip  to  the  Sand 
wich  Islands  to  recover  from  a  severe  cold  on 
the  chest.  Moreover,  his  former  placidity  had 
left  him,  for  one  thing  and  another  delayed  the 
financing  of  his  newspaper.  One  of  its 
founders  was  temporarily  embarrassed  for 
ready  money,  another  awaited  an  opportune 
moment  to  realize  on  some  valuable  stock. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  the  entire  amount 
would  be  forthcoming  in  time,  but  meanwhile 
he  fumed,  and  expressed  himself  freely  to 
Madeleine.  That  he  might  have  a  more  poi 
sonous  source  of  irritation  did  not  occur  to  her. 

Fortunately  she  did  not  suspect  that  gossip 
was  still  rife.  Madeleine  might  have  a  subtle 
mind  but  she  had  a  candid  personality.  It  was 
quite  patent  to  sharp  eyes  that  she  was  unhappy 
once  more,  although  this  time  her  health  was 


102  SLEEPING    FIRES 

unaffected.  And  Society  was  quite  aware  that 
she  still  saw  Langdon  Masters,  in  spite  of  her 
perfunctory  appearances  j  for  suspicion  once 
roused  develops  antennae  that  traverse  space 
without  effort  and  return  with  accumulated 
minute  stores  of  evidence.  Masters  had  been 
seen  entering  or  leaving  the  Talbot  parlor  by 
luncheon  guests  in  the  hotel.  Old  Ben  Travers, 
who  had  chosen  to  ignore  his  astonishing  and 
humiliating  experience  and  always  treated 
Madeleine  with  exaggerated  deference,  called 
one  afternoon  on  her  (in  company  with  Mrs. 
Ballinger)  and  observed  cigarette  ends  in  the 
ash  tray.  Talbot  smoked  only  cigars.  Mas 
ters  was  one  of  the  few  men  in  San  Fran 
cisco  who  smoked  cigarettes  and  there  was  no 
mistaking  his  imported  brand.  Mr.  Travers 
paid  an  immediate  round  of  visits,  and  called 
again  a  fortnight  later,  this  time  protected 
by  Mrs.  Abbott.  There  were  several  books  on 
the  table  which  he  happened  to  know  Masters 
had  received  within  the  week. 

When  the  new  wave  reached  Mrs.  McLane 
she  announced  angrily  that  all  the  gossip  in 
San  Francisco  originated  in  the  Union  Club, 
and  refused  to  listen  to  details.  But  she  was 


SLEEPING    FIRES  103 

anxious,  nevertheless,  for  she  knew  that  Made 
leine,  whether  she  recognized  the  fact  or  not, 
was  in  love  with  Langdon  Masters,  and  she 
more  than  suspected  that  he  was  with  her. 
He  went  little  into  society,  even  before  his 
mother's  death,  pleading  press  of  work,  but 
Mr.  McLane  often  brought  him  home  quietly 
to  dinner  and  she  saw  more  of  him  than  aay  one 
did  but  Madeleine.  Men  had  gone  mad  over 
her  in  her  own  time  and  she  knew  the  stamp 
of  baffled  passions. 

It  was  on  New  Year's  Day,  during  Masters' 
absence  in  Richmond,  that  an  incident  occurred 
which  turned  Society's  attention,  diverted  for 
the  moment  by  an  open  divorce  scandal,  to 
Madeleine  Talbot  once  more. 


XIX 

NEW  YEAR'S  DAY  in  San  Francisco  was 
one  of  pomp  and  triumphs,  and  much 
secret  heart-burning.  Every  woman  who  had 
a  house  threw  it  open  and  the  many  that  lived 
in  hotels  were  equally  hospitable.  There  was 
a  constant  procession  of  family  barouches, 
livery  stable  buggies  and  hacks.  The  "  whips  " 
drove  their  mud-bespattered  traps  with  as  grand 
an  air  as  if  on  the  Cliff  House  Road  in  fine 
weather j  and  while  none  was  ignored  whose 
entertaining  was  lavish,  those  who  could  count 
only  on  admiration  and  friendship  compared 
notes  eagerly  during  the  following  week. 

But  young  men  in  those  days  were  more 
gallant  or  less  snobbish  than  in  these,  and  few 
pretty  girls,  however  slenderly  dowered,  were 
forgotten  by  their  waltzing  partners.  The 
older  men  went  only  to  the  great  houses, 
and  frankly  for  eggnog.  Mrs.  Abbott's  was 
famous  and  so  was  Mrs.  McLane's.  Ladies 
who  lived  out  of  town  the  year  round,  that 

104 


SLEEPING    FIRES  105 

their  husbands  might  "  sleep  in  the  country!  " 
received  with  their  more  fortunate  friends. 

It  had  been  Madeleine's  intention  to  have 
her  own  reception  at  the  hotel  as  usual,  but 
when  Mrs.  McLane  craved  her  assistance  — 
Marguerite  was  receiving  with  Mrs.  Abbott, 
now  her  mother-in-law  —  she  consented  will 
ingly,  as  it  would  reduce  her  effort  to  entertain 
progressively  illuminated  men  to  the  mini 
mum.  She  felt  disinclined  to  effort  of  any 
sort. 

Mrs.  McLane,  after  her  daughter's  mar 
riage,  had  tired  of  the  large  house  on  Rincon 
Hill  and  the  exorbitant  wages  of  its  staff  of 
servants,  and  returned  to  her  old  home  in  South 
Park,  furnishing  her  parlors  with  a  red  satin 
damask,  which  also  covered  the  walls.  She 
had  made  a  trip  to  Paris  meanwhile  and 
brought  back  much  light  and  graceful  French 
furniture.  The  long  double  room  was  an  ad 
mirable  setting  for  her  stately  little  figure  in 
its  trailing  gown  of  wine-colored  velvet 
trimmed  with  mellowed  point  lace  (it  had  been 
privately  dipped  in  coffee)  and  her  white  high- 
piled  hair.  There  was  no  watchful  anxiety  in 
Mrs.  McLane's  lofty  mien.  She  knew  that  the 


106  SLEEPING    FIRES 

best,  old  and  young,  would  come  to  her  New 
Year's  Day  reception  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Mrs.  Ballinger  had  also  gratefully  accepted 
Mrs.  McLane's  invitation,  for  Sally  had  re 
cently  married  Harold  Abbott  and  was  receiv 
ing  on  Rincon  Hill,  and  Maria  was  in  modest 
retirement.  She  wore  a  long  gown  of  silver 
gray  poplin  as  shining  as  her  silver  hair;  and 
as  she  was  nearly  a  foot  taller  than  her 
hostess,  the  two  ladies  stood  at  opposite  ends 
of  the  mantelpiece  in  the  front  parlor  with 
Annette  McLane  and  two  young  friends  be 
tween. 

The  reception  was  at  its  height  at  four 
o'clock.  The  rooms  were  crowded,  and  the 
equipages  of  the  guests  packed  not  only  South 
Park  but  Third  Street  a  block  north  and  south. 

Madeleine  sat  at  the  end  of  the  long  double 
room  behind  a  table  and  served  the  eggnog. 
The  men  hovered  about  her,  not,  as  commonly, 
in  unqualified  admiration,  or  passed  on  the  gob 
lets,  slices  of  the  monumental  cakes,  and  Peter 
Job's  famous  cream  pie. 

She  had  taken  a  glass  at  once  and  raised  her 
spirits  to  the  necessary  pitch  j  but  its  effect  wore 
off  in  time  and  her  hand  began  to  tremble 


SLEEPING    FIRES  107 

slightly  as  she  ladled  out  the  eggnog.  She 
had  not  heard  from  Masters  since  he  left  and 
her  days  were  as  vacant  as  visible  space.  She 
had  felt  nervous  and  depressed  since  morning 
and  would  have  spent  the  day  in  bed  had  she 
dared. 

Mr.  McLane,  Mr.  Abbott,  Colonel  "  Jack  " 
Belmont,  Alexander  Groome,  Mr.  Ballinger, 
Amos  Lawton  and  several  others  were  chatting 
with  her  when  Ben  Travers  sauntered  up  to 
demand  his  potion.  He  had  already  paid 
several  visits,  and  although  he  carried  his 
liquor  well,  it  was  patent  to  the  eyes  of  his 
friends  he  was  in  that  particular  stage  of 
inebriation  that  swamped  his  meagre  stock  of 
good  nature  and  the  superficial  cleverness 
which  made  him  an  agreeable  companion,  and 
set  free  all  the  maliciousness  of  a  mind  con 
tracted  with  years  and  disappointments:  he  had 
never  made  "  his  pile  "  and  it  was  current  his 
tory  that  he  had  been  refused  by  every  belle 
of  his  youth. 

He  made  Madeleine  a  courtly  bow  as  he 
took  the  goblet  from  her  hands,  not  forgetting 
to  pay  her  a  well-turned  compliment  on  those 
hands,  not  the  least  of  her  physical  perfec- 


io8  SLEEPING    FIRES 

tions.  Then  he  balanced  himself  on  the  edge 
of  the  table  with  a  manifest  intention  of  join 
ing  in  the  conversation.  Madeleine  felt  an 
odd  sense  of  terror,  although  she  knew  nothing 
of  his  discoveries  and  communications ;  there 
was  a  curious  hard  stare  in  his  bleared  eyes  and 
it  seemed  to  impale  her. 

He  began  amiably  enough.  "  Best  looking 
frocks  in  this  house  I've  seen  today.  At  least 
five  from  Paris.  Mrs.  McLane  brought  back 
four  of  them  besides  her  own.  Seen  some 
awful  old  duds  today.  'Lupie  Hathaway  had 
on  an  old  black  silk  with  a  gaping  placket  and 
three  buttons  off  in  front.  Some  of  the  other 
things  were  new  enough,  but  the  dressmakers 
in  this  town  need  waking  up.  Of  course  yours 
came  from  New  York,  Mrs.  Talbot.  Charm 
ing,  simply  charming." 

Madeleine  wore  a  gown  of  amber-colored 
silk  with  a  bertha  of  fine  lace  and  mousseline 
de  soie,  exposing  her  beautiful  shoulders.  The 
color  seemed  reflected  in  her  eyes  and  the 
bright  waving  masses  of  her  hair. 

"  Madame  Deforme  made  it,"  she  said  tri 
umphantly.  "  Now  don't  criticize  our  dress 
makers  again." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  109 

"  Never  criticize  anybody  but  can't  help  no 
ticing  things.  Got  the  observing  eye.  Nothing 
escapes  it.  How  are  you  off  for  books  now  that 
Masters  has  deserted  us?  ' 

Madeleine  turned  cold,  for  the  inference 
was  unmistakable,  and  she  saw  Mr.  McLane 
scowl  at  him  ferociously.  But  she  replied 
smilingly  that  there  was  always  the  Mercantile 
Library. 

"  Never  have  anything  new  there,  and  even 
C.  Beach  hasn't  had  a  new  French  novel  for 
six  months.  If  Masters  were  one  of  those 
considerate  men,  now,  he'd  have  left  you  the 
key  of  his  rooms.  Nothing  compromising  in 
that.  But  it  would  be  no  wonder  if  he  forgot 
it,  for  I  hear  it  wasn't  his  mother's  illness  that 
took  him  to  Richmond,  but  Betty  Thornton 
who's  still  a  reigning  toast.  Old  flame  and  they 
say  she's  come  round.  Had  a  letter  from  my 
sister." 

Madeleine,  who  was  lifting  a  goblet,  let  it 
fall  with  a  crash.  She  had  turned  white  and 
was  trembling,  but  she  lifted  another  with  an 
immediate  return  of  self-control,  and  said, 
"How  awkward  of  me!  But  I  have  had  a 
headache  for  three  days  and  the  gas  makes  the 


room  so  warm." 


no  SLEEPING    FIRES 

And  then  she  fainted. 

Mr.  McLane,  who  was  more  impulsive  than 
tactful,  took  Travers  by  the  arm  and  pushed 
him  through  the  crowd  surging  toward  the 
table,  and  out  of  the  front  door,  almost  fling 
ing  him  down  the  front  steps. 

"  Damn  you  for  a  liar  and  a  scandalmonger 
and  a  malicious  old  woman!  "  he  shouted,  ob 
livious  of  many  staring  coachmen.  "  Never 
enter  my  house  again." 

But  the  undaunted  Travers  steadied  himself 
and  replied  with  a  leer,  "Well,  I  made  her 
give  herself  dead  away,  whether  you  like  it  or 
not.  And  it'll  be  all  over  town  in  a  week." 

Mr.  McLane  turned  his  back,  and  ordering 
the  astonished  butler  to  take  out  the  man's 
hat  and  greatcoat,  returned  to  a  scene  of  ex 
citement.  Madeleine  had  been  placed  full 
length  on  a  sofa  by  an  open  window,  and  was 
evidently  reviving.  He  asked  the  men  who 
had  overheard  Travers'  attack  to  follow  him  to 
his  study. 

"  I  want  every  one  of  you  to  promise  me 
that  you  will  not  repeat  what  that  little  brute 
said,"  he  commanded.  "  Fortunately  there 
were  no  women  about.  Fainting  women  are  no 


SLEEPING    FIRES  in 

novelty.  And  if  that  cur  tells  the  story  of  his 
dastardly  assault,  give  him  the  lie.  Swear  that 
he  never  said  it.  Persuade  him  that  he  was  too 
drunk  to  remember." 

"  I'll  follow  him  and  threaten  to  horsewhip 
him  if  he  opens  his  mouth!  "  cried  Colonel  Bel- 
mont,  who  had  been  a  dashing  cavalry  officer 
during  the  war.  He  revered  all  women  of  his 
own  class,  even  his  wife,  who  rarely  saw  him; 
and  he  was  so  critical  of  feminine  perfections 
of  any  sort  that  he  changed  his  mistresses 
oftener  than  any  man  in  San  Francisco.  "  I'll 
not  lose  a  moment."  And  he  left  the  room 
as  if  charging  the  enemy. 

"  Good.    Will  the  rest  of  you  promise?" 

"  Of  course  we'll  promise." 

But  alas,  wives  have  means  of  extracting 
secrets  when  their  suspicions  are  alert  and  clam 
oring  that  no  husband  has  the  wit  to  elude, 
man  being  too  ingenuous  to  follow  the  circum 
locutory  methods  of  the  subtler  sex.  Not  that 
there  was  ever  anything  subtle  about  Mrs.  Ab 
bott's  methods.  Mr.  Abbott  had  a  perpetual 
catarrh  and  it  had  long  since  weakened  his  fibre. 
It  was  commonly  believed  that  when  Mrs. 
Abbott,  her  large  bulk  arrayed  in  a  red  flannel 


ii2  SLEEPING    FIRES 

nightgown,  sat  up  in  the  connubial  bed  and 
threatened  to  pour  hot  mustard  up  his  nose 
unless  he  opened  his  sluices  of  information  he 
ingloriously  succumbed. 

At  all  events,  how  or  wherefore,  Travers' 
prediction  was  fulfilled,  although  he  shiver- 
ingly  held  his  own  tongue.  The  story  was  all 
over  town  not  in  a  week  but  in  three  days. 
But  of  this  Madeleine  knew  nothing.  The  doc 
tor,  who  feared  typhoid  fever,  ordered  her  to 
keep  quiet  and  see  no  one  until  he  discovered 
what  was  the  matter  with  her.  Her  return  to 
Society  and  Masters'  to  San  Francisco  coin 
cided,  but  at  least  her  little  world  knew  that 
Dr.  Talbot  had  been  responsible  for  her  re 
tirement.  It  awaited  future  developments 
with  a  painful  and  a  pleasurable  interest. 


XX 


THE  rest  of  the  season,  however,  passed 
without  notable  incident.  But  it  was 
known  that  Madeleine  saw  Masters  constantly, 
and  she  was  so  narrowly  observed  during  his 
second  absence  that  the  nervousness  it  induced 
made  her  forced  gaiety  almost  hysterical.  Dur 
ing  the  late  spring  her  spirits  grew  more  even 
and  her  migraines  less  frequent;  sustained  as 
she  was  by  the  prospect  of  her  old  uninter 
rupted  relations  with  Masters. 

But  more  than  Mrs.  Abbott  divined  the 
cause  of  her  ill-suppressed  expectancy  and 
never  had  she  received  so  many  invitations  to 
the  country.  Mrs.  McLane  spent  her  summers 
at  Congress  Springs,  but  even  she  pressed 
Madeleine  to  visit  her.  Sally  Abbott  lived 
across  the  Bay  on  Lake  Merritt  and  begged  for 
three  days  a  week  at  least;  while  as  for  Mrs. 
Abbott  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tom,  who  lived  with 
her,  they  would  harken  to  no  excuses. 

Madeleine  was  almost  nonplussed,  but  if  her 

"3 


iH  SLEEPING    FIRES 

firm  and  graceful  refusals  to  leave  the  doctor 
had  led  to  open  war  she  would  have  accepted 
the  consequences.  She  was  determined  that 
this  summer  she  had  lived  for  throughout 
seven  long  tormented  months  should  be  as  un 
broken  and  happy  as  the  other  fates  would  per 
mit.  She  had  a  full  presentiment  that  it  would 
be  the  last. 

Masters  glided  immediately  into  the  old 
habit  and  saw  her  oftener  when  he  could.  Of 
course  no  phase  ever  quite  repeats  itself.  The 
blithe  unconsciousness  of  that  first  immortal 
summer  was  gone  for  ever;  each  was  playing  a 
part  and  dreading  lest  the  other  suspect  it. 
Moreover,  Masters  was  irritated  almost  beyond 
endurance  at  the  constant  postponement  of  the 
financial  equipment  for  his  newspaper.  The 
man  who  had  promised  the  largest  contribution 
had  died  suddenly,  and  although  his  heir  was 
more  than  eager  to  be  associated  with  so  il 
lustrious  an  enterprise  he  must  await  the  settle 
ment  of  the  estate. 

"  I  am  beginning  to  believe  I  never  shall 
have  that  newspaper,"  Masters  said  gloomily  to 
Madeleine.  "  It  looks  like  Fate.  When  the 
subject  was  first  broached  there  was  every 


SLEEPING    FIRES  115 

prospect  that  I  should  get  the  money  at  once. 
It  has  an  ugly  look.  Any  man  who  has  been 
through  a  war  is  something  of  a  fatalist." 

They  were  less  circumspect  than  of  old  and 
were  walking  out  the  old  Mission  Road.  In 
such  moods  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  idle 
before  a  fire  and  read  aloud.  Madeleine  had 
told  her  husband  she  would  like  to  join  Masters 
in  his  walks  occasionally,  and  he  had  replied 
heartily:  "Do  you  good.  He'll  lead  you  some 
pretty  tramps!  I  can't  keep  up  with  him.  You 
don't  walk  half  enough.  Neither  do  these 
other*  women,  although  my  income  would  be 
cut  in  half  if  they  did." 

It  was  a  cool  bracing  day  without  dust  or 
wind  and  Madeleine  had  started  out  in  high 
spirits,  induced  in  part  by  a  new  and  vastly  be 
coming  walking  suit  of  forest  green  poplin  and 
a  hat  of  the  same  shade  rolled  up  on  one  side 
and  trimmed  with  a  drooping  grey  feather. 
Her  gloves  and  shoes  were  of  grey  suede,  there 
was  soft  lace  about  her  white  throat  and  a  co 
quettish  little  veil  that  covered  only  her  eyes. 

She  always  knew  what  to  say  when  Masters 
was  in  one  of  his  black  moods,  and  today  she 
reminded  him  of  the  various  biographies  of 


n6  SLEEPING    FIRES 

great  men  they  had  read  together.  Had  not 
all  of  them  suffered  every  disappointment  and 
discouragement  in  the  beginning  of  their 
careers?  Overcome  innumerable  obstacles? 
Many  had  been  called  upon  to  endure  grind 
ing  poverty  as  well  until  they  forced  recog 
nition  from  the  world,  and  he  at  least  was 
spared  that.  If  Life  took  with  one  hand  while 
she  gave  with  the  other,  the  reverse  was 
equally  true;  and  also  no  doubt  it  was  a  part 
of  her  beneficence  that  she  not  only  strength 
ened  the  character  by  preliminary  hardships, 
but  amiably  planned  them  that  success  might 
be  all  the  sweeter  when  it  came. 

Masters  laughed.  "  Incontrovertible.  Mind 
you  practice  your  own  philosophy  when  you 
need  it.  All  reverses  should  be  temporary  if 
people  are  strong  enough." 

She  lost  her  color  for  a  moment,  but 
answered  lightly:  "That  is  an  easy  philosophy 
for  you.  If  one  thing  failed  you  would  simply 
move  on  to  another.  Men  like  you  never  really 
fail,  for  your  rare  abilities  give  you  the 
strength  and  resource  of  ten  men." 

"  I  wonder!  The  roots  of  strength  some 
times  lie  in  slimy  and  corrupting  waters  that 


SLEEPING    FIRES  117 

spread  their  miasma  upward  when  Life  frowns 
too  long  and  too  darkly.  Sometimes  misfor 
tunes  pile  up  so  remorselessly,  this  miasma 
whispers  that  a  man's  chief  strength  consists 
in  going  straight  to  the  devil  and  be  done  with 
it  all.  A  resounding  slap  on  Life's  face.  An 
insolent  assertion  of  the  individual  will  against 
Society.  Or  perhaps  it  is  merely  a  disposition 
to  run  full  tilt,  hoping  for  the  coup  de  grace  — 
much  as  I  felt  when  I  lay  neglected  on  the 
battlefield  for  twenty-four  hours  and  longed 
for  some  Yank  to  come  along  and  blow  out  my 
brains." 

"  That  is  no  comparison,"  she  said  scorn 
fully.  "  When  the  body  is  whole  nothing  is 
impossible.  I  should  feel  that  the  Universe 
was  reeling  if  I  saw  you  go  down  before  ad 
versity.  I  could  as  readily  imagine  myself 
letting  go,  and  I  am  only  a  woman." 

"  Oh,  I  should  never  fear  for  you,"  he  said 
bitterly.  "  What  with  your  immutable  prin 
ciples,  your  religion,  and  your  proud  position 
in  the  Society  of  San  Francisco  to  sustain  you 
you  would  come  through  the  fiery  furnace  un 
scathed." 

"Yes,   but   the   furnace!      The    furnace!" 


n8  SLEEPING    FIRES 

She  threw  out  her  hands  with  a  gesture  of  de 
spair,  her  high  spirits  routed  before  a  sudden 
blinding  vision  of  the  future.  "Does  any 
woman  ever  escape  that?  ' 

One  of  her  hands  brushed  his  and  he  caught 
it  irresistibly.  But  he  dropped  it  at  once. 
There  was  a  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  behind 
them.  He  had  been  vaguely  aware  of  canter 
ing  hoof-beats  in  the  distance  for  several 
minutes. 

Two  men  passed,  and  one  of  them  took  off 
his  hat  with  a  low  mocking  sweep  and  bowed 
almost  to  the  saddle.  It  was  old  Ben  Travers. 

"  What  on  earth  is  he  doing  in  town?  "  mut 
tered  Masters  in  exasperation.  No  one  had 
told  him  of  the  New  Year's  Day  episode,  but 
he  knew  him  for  what  he  was. 

Madeleine  was  following  the  small  trim 
figure  on  the  large  chestnut  with  expanded 
eyes,  but  she  answered  evenly  enough :  "  He 
has  some  ailment  and  is  remaining  in  town 
under  Howard's  care." 

"  Liver,  no  doubt,"  said  Masters  viciously. 
"  Too  bad  his  spleen  doesn't  burst  once  for 
all." 

He  continued  unguardedly,     "  Well,  if  he 


SLEEPING    FIRES  119 

tries  to  make  mischief,  Howard  will  tell  him 
bluntly  that  we  walk  together  with  his  per 
mission  and  invite  him  to  go  to  the  devil." 

Her  own  guard  was  up  at  once,  although  it 
was  not  any  gossip  carried  to  Howard  she 
feared.  "  He  has  probably  already  forgotten 
us,"  she  said  coldly.  "  Have  you  finished  that 
paper  for  Putnam's?  " 

"  Three  days  ago,  and  begun  another  for  the 
Edinburgh  Review.  That  is  the  first  time  I 
have  been  invited  to  write  for  an  English  re 


view." 


"You  see!"  she  cried  gaily.  "You  are 
famous  already.  And  ambitious!  You  were 
once  thinking  of  writing  for  our  Overland 
Monthly  only.  Bret  Harte  told  me  you  had 
promised  him  three  papers  this  year." 

"  I  shall  write  them." 

"Perfunctory  patriotism.  You'd  have  to 
write  the  entire  magazine  and  bring  it  out 
weekly  to  get  rid  of  all  your  ideas  and  super 
fluous  energy." 

"  Well,  and  wouldn't  the  good  Californians 
rather  read  any  magazine  but  their  own?  Even 
Harte  is  far  better  known  in  the  East  than  here. 
I  doubt  if  I've  heard  one  of  his  things  men- 


120  SLEEPING    FIRES 

tioned  but  '  The  Heathen  Chinee.'  He  has 
been  here  so  long  they  regard  him  as  a  mere 
native.  If  I  am  advancing  my  reputation  in 
the  East  I  am  making  it  much  faster  than  if 
I  depended  upon  the  local  reputation  alone. 
San  Francisco  is  remarkably  human." 

"  When  I  first  came  here  —  it  seems  a  life 
time  ago!  —  I  never  saw  an  Eastern  magazine 
of  the  higher  class  and  rarely  a  book.  I  be 
lieve  you  have  done  as  much  to  wake  them  up 
as  even  the  march  of  time.  They  read  news 
papers  if  they  won't  read  their  own  poor  little 
Overland.  And  you  are  popular  personally 
and  inspire  a  sort  of  uneasy  emulation.  You 
are  a  sort  of  illuminated  bridge.  Now  tell 
me  what  your  new  paper  is  about." 


XXI 

AWHILE  later  they  came  to  the  old  Mis 
sion  Dolores,  long  ago  the  center  of  a 
flourishing  colony  of  native  Indians,  who,  un 
der  the  driving  energy  of  the  padres,  manufac 
tured  practically  every  simple  necessity  known 
to  Spain.  There  was  nothing  left  but  the  crum 
bling  church  and  its  neglected  graveyard,  alone 
in  a  waste  of  sand.  The  graves  of  the  priests 
and  grandees  were  overrun  with  periwinkle,  and 
the  only  other  flower  was  the  indestructible 
Castilian  rose.  The  heavy  dull  green  bushes 
with  their  fluted  dull  pink  blooms  surrounded 
by  tight  little  buds,  were  as  dusty  as  the  mem 
ory  of  the  Spaniard  in  California. 

They  went  into  the  church  to  rest.  Madeleine 
had  never  taken  any  interest  in  the  history  of 
her  adopted  state,  and  as  they  sat  in  a  pew  at 
the  back,  surrounded  by  silence  and  a  deep  twi 
light  gloom,  Masters  told  her  the  tragic  story 
of  Rezanov  and  Concha  Arguello,  who  would 
have  married  before  that  humble  altar  and 


122  SLEEPING    FIRES 

the  history  of  California  changed  if  the  ironic 
fates  had  permitted.  The  story  had  been  told 
him  by  Mrs.  Hathaway,  who  was  the  daughter 
of  one  of  the  last  of  the  grandees,  and  whose 
mother  had  lived  in  the  Presidio  when 
Rezanov  sailed  in  through  the  Golden  Gate 
and  Concha  Arguello  had  been  La  Favorita  of 
Alta  California. 

The  little  church  was  very  quiet.  The  rest 
of  the  world  seemed  far  away.  Madeleine's 
fervid  yielding  imagination  swept  her  back  to 
that  long-forgotten  past  when  a  woman  to 
whom  the  earlier  fates  had  been  as  kind  as  to 
herself  had  scaled  all  but  the  highest  peaks  of 
happiness  and  descended  into  the  profoundest 
depths  of  despair.  Her  sympathies,  enhanced 
by  her  own  haunting  premonition  of  disaster, 
shattered  her  guard.  She  dropped  her  head 
into  her  hands  and  wept  hopelessly.  Masters 
felt  his  own  moorings  shake.  He  half  rose 
to  flee.  But  he  too  had  been  living  in  the 
romantic  and  passionate  past  and  he  too  had 
been  visited  by  moments  of  black  forebodings. 
Love  had  tormented  him  to  the  breaking  point 
before  this  and  his  ambition  had  often  been 
submerged  in  his  impatience  for  the  excess  of 


SLEEPING    FIRES  123 

work  which  his  newspaper  would  demand,  ex 
hausting  to  body  and  imagination  alike.  He 
had  long  ceased  to  doubt  that  she  loved  him, 
but  her  self-command  had  protected  them 
both.  He  had  believed  it  would  never  desert 
her  and  when  it  did  his  pulses  had  their  way. 
He  took  her  in  his  arms  and  strained  her  to 
him  as  if  with  the  strength  of  his  muscles  and 
his  will  he  would  defy  the  blundering  fates. 

Madeleine  made  no  resistance.  She  was 
oblivious  of  everything  but  the  ecstasy  of  the 
moment.  When  he  kissed  her  she  clung  to 
him  as  ardently,  and  felt  as  mortals  may,  when, 
in  dissolution,  they  have  the  vision  of  un- 
mortal  bliss.  She  had  the  genius  for  comple 
tion  and  neither  the  past  nor  the  future  in 
truded  upon  the  perfect  moment  when  love 
was  all. 

But  the  moment  was  brief.  A  priest  en 
tered  and  knelt  before  the  altar.  She  disen 
gaged  herself  and  adjusted  her  hat  with  hands 
that  trembled  violently,  then  almost  ran  out 
of  the  church.  Masters  followed  her.  As  they 
descended  the  steps  Travers  and  his  companion 
passed  aguin,  after  their  short  canter  down  the 
peninsula.  He  stared  so  hard  at  Madeleine's 


124  SLEEPING    FIRES 

revealing  face  that  he  almost  forgot  to  take 
off  his  hat,  and  half  reined  in  as  if  he  would 
pause  and  gratify  his  curiosity  j  but  thought 
better  of  it  and  rode  on. 

Masters  and  Madeleine  did  not  exchange  a 
word  until  they  had  walked  nearly  a  mile. 
But  his  brain  was  working  as  clearly  as  if  pas 
sion  had  never  clouded  it,  and  although  he 
could  see  no  hope  for  the  future  he  was  de 
termined  to  gain  time  and  sacrifice  anything 
rather  than  lose  what  little  he  might  still 
have  of  her.  He  said  finally,  in  a  matter-of- 
fact  voice: 

"  I  want  you  to  use  your  will  and  imagina 
tion  and  forget  that  we  ever  entered  that 
church." 

"  Forget!  The  memory  of  it  will  scourge 
me  as  long  as  I  live.  I  have  been  unfaithful 
to  my  husband!  ' 

"  Oh,  not  quite  as  bad  as  that!  " 

"  What  difference?  I  had  surrendered  com 
pletely  and  forgotten  my  vows,  my  religion, 
every  principle  that  has  guided  my  life.  If 
—  if  —  circumstances  had  been  different  that 
would  not  have  been  the  end.  I  am  a  bad 
wicked  woman." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  125 

"Oh,  no,  you  are  not.  You  are  a  terribly 
good  one.  If  you  were  not  you  would  take 
your  life  in  your  hands  and  make  it  over." 

He  did  not  dare  mention  the  word  divorce, 
and  lest  it  travel  from  his  mind  to  hers  and 
cause  his  immediate  repudiation,  he  added 
hastily: 

"  You  were  immortal  for  a  moment  and  it 
should  be  your  glory,  not  a  whip  to  scourge 
you.  The  time  will  come  when  you  will  re 
member  it  with  gratitude  and  without  a  blush. 
You  know  now  what  you  could  be  and  feel. 
If  we  part  at  least  you  will  have  been  saved 
from  the  complete  aridity  —  " 

"Part?  "  She  looked  at  him  for  the  first 
time,  and  although  she  had  believed  she  never 
could  look  at  him  again  without  turning  scarlet, 
there  was  only  terror  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  have  been  afraid  of  banishment." 
"  It  was  my  fault  as  much  as  yours." 
"  I  am  not  so  sure.     We  won't  argue  that 
point.     Is  anything  perfect  arguable?     But  if 
I  am  to  stay  in  San  Francisco  I  must  see  you." 
"  I'll  never  see  you  alone  again." 
( I  have  no  intention  of  pressing  that  point! 
But  the  open  is  safe  and  you  must  walk  with 
me  every  day." 


126  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  I  don't  know!  Oh  —  I  don't  know!  And 
I  think  that  I  should  tell  Howard." 

"  You  will  not  tell  Howard  because  you  are 
neither  cowardly  nor  cruel.  Nor  will  you  ruin 
a  perfect  memory  that  belongs  to  us  alone. 
You  do  love  me  and  that  is  the  end  of  it  —  or 
the  beginning  of  God  knows  what!  " 

"Love!"  She  shivered.  "Yes,  I  love 
you.  Why  do  poets  waste  so  many  beautiful 
words  over  love?  It  is  the  most  terrible  thing 
in  the  world." 

"Let  us  try  to  forget  it  for  the  present," 
he  said  harshly.  "  Forget  everything  we  can 
not  have  —  " 

"  You  have  your  work.  You  have  only  to 
work  harder  than  ever.  What  have  I?  " 

"  We  will  walk  together  every  day.  We  can 
take  a  book  out  on  the  beach  and  sit  on  the 
rocks.  Read  more  fiction.  That  is  its  mission 
—  to  translate  one  for  a  time  from  the  terrible 
realities  of  life.  Your  religion  should  be  of 
some  use  to  you.  It  is  almost  a  pity  there  is 
no  poverty  out  here.  Sink  your  prejudices  and 
seek  out  poor  Sibyl  Forbes.  Every  woman  in 
town  has  cut  her.  In  healing  her  wounds  you 
could  forget  your  own.  Above  all,  use  your 


SLEEPING    FIRES  127 

will.  We  are  neither  of  us  weaklings,  and  it 
could  be  a  thousand  times  worse.  Nothing 
shall  take  from  us  what  we  have,  and  there 
may  be  a  way  out." 

"  There  is  none,"  she  said  sadly.  "  But  I 
will  do  as  you  tell  me.  And  I'll  forget  —  not 
remember  —  if  I  can." 


XXII 

THE  END  came  swiftly.  The  next  day 
Ben  Travers  drove  down  to  Rincona. 
Mrs.  Abbott  listened  to  his  garnished  tale  with 
bulging  eyes  and  her  three  chins  quivering  with 
excitement.  She  had  heard  no  gossip  worth 
mentioning  since  she  left  town,  and  privately 
she  hated  the  summer  and  Alta. 

"  You  should  have  seen  her  face  when  she 
came  out  of  that  church,"  cried  Travers  for  the 
third  time;  he  was  falling  into  the  senile  habit 
of  repeating  himself.  "  It  was  fairly  distorted 
and  she  looked  as  if  she  had  been  crying  for  a 
week.  Mark  my  words,  Masters  had  been 
making  the  hottest  kind  of  love  to  her  —  he 
was  little  more  composed  than  she.  Bet  you  an 
eagle  to  a  dime  they  elope  within  a  week." 

"  Serve  Howard  Talbot  right  for  marrying 
a  woman  twenty  years  younger  than  himself 
and  a  Northerner  to  boot.  Do  you  think  he 
suspects?  ' 

"  Not  he.  Now,  I  must  be  off.  If  I  didn't 
128 


SLEEPING    FIRES  129 

call  on  the  Hathaways  and  Montgomerys  while 
Pm  down  here  they'd  never  forgive  me." 

"  Both  have  house  parties,"  said  Mrs.  Abbott 
enviously.  "  Just  like  you  to  get  it  first!  I'd 
go  with  you  but  I  must  write  to  Antoinette 
McLane.  She'll  have  to  believe  that  her  para 
gon  is  headed  for  the  rocks  this  time." 

Mrs.  McLane  was  having  an  attack  of  the 
blues  when  the  letter  arrived  and  did  not  open 
her  mail  until  two  days  later.  Then  she  drove 
at  once  to  San  Francisco.  She  was  too  wise  in 
women  to  remonstrate  with  Madeleine,  but  she 
went  directly  to  Dr.  Talbot's  office.  It  was  the 
most  unpleasant  duty  she  had  ever  undertaken, 
but  she  knew  that  Talbot  would  not  doubt  his 
wife's  fidelity,  and  she  was  determined  to  save 
Madeleine.  She  had  considered  the  alterna 
tive  of  going  to  Masters,  but  even  her  strong 
spirit  quailed  before  the  prospect  of  that  in 
terview.  Besides,  if  he  were  as  deeply  in  love 
with  Madeleine  as  she  believed  him  to  be,  it 
would  do  no  good.  She  had  little  faith  in 
the  self-abnegation  of  men  where  their  pas 
sions  were  concerned. 

Dr.  Talbot  was  in  his  office  and  saw  her  at 
once,  and  they  talked  for  an  hour.  His  face 


130  SLEEPING    FIRES 

was  purple  and  she  feared  a  stroke.  But  he 
heard  her  quietly,  and  told  her  she  had  proved 
her  friendship  by  coming  to  him  before  it  was 
too  late.  When  she  left  him  he  sat  for  another 
hour,  alone. 


XXIII 

IT  WAS  six  o'clock.  San  Francisco  was  en 
joying  one  of  its  rare  heat  waves  and 
Madeleine  had  put  on  a  frock  of  white  lawn 
made  with  a  low  neck  and  short  sleeves,  and 
tied  a  soft  blue  sash  round  her  waist.  As  the 
hour  of  her  husband's  reasonably  prompt  hom 
ing  approached  she  seated  herself  at  the  piano. 
She  could  not  trust  herself  to  sing,  and  played 
the  "  Adelaide."  The  past  three  days  had  not 
been  as  unhappy  as  she  had  expected.  She  had 
visited  Sibyl  Forbes,  living  in  lonely  splendor, 
and  listened  enthralled  to  that  rebellious  young 
woman  (who  had  received  her  with  passionate 
gratitude)  as  she  poured  out  humiliations,  bit 
ter  resentment,  and  matrimonial  felicity. 
Madeleine  had  consoled  and  rejoiced  and 
promised  to  talk  to  the  all-powerful  Mrs.  Mc- 
Lane. 

Twice  she  had  gone  to  hear  John  Mc- 
Cul lough  at  his  new  California  Theatre,  with 
another  dutiful  doctor's  wife  who  lived  in  the 


132  SLEEPING    FIRES 

hotel,  and  she  had  walked  for  three  hours  with 
Masters  every  afternoon.  He  had  always 
found  it  easy  to  turn  her  mind  into  any  chan 
nel  he  chose,  and  he  had  never  exerted  himself 
to  be  more  entertaining  even  with  her. 

Today  he  had  been  jubilant  and  had  swept 
her  with  him  on  his  high  tide  of  anticipation 
and  triumph.  Another  patriotic  San  Francis 
can  had  come  to  the  rescue  and  the  hundred 
thousand  dollars  lay  to  Masters'  credit  in  the 
Bank  of  California.  He  had  taken  his 
offices  an  hour  after  the  deposit  was  made;  his 
business  manager  was  engaged,  and  every 
writer  of  ability  on  the  other  newspapers  was 
his  to  command.  "  Masters'  Newspaper  "  had 
been  the  talk  of  the  journalistic  world  for 
months.  He  had  picked  his  staff  and  he  now 
awaited  only  the  presses  he  had  ordered  that 
morning  from  New  York. 

Madeleine  had  sighed  as  she  listened  to  him 
dilate  upon  an  active  brilliant  future  in  which 
she  had  no  place,  but  she  was  in  tune  with  him 
always  and  she  could  only  be  happy  with  him 
now.  Moreover,  it  was  an  additional  safe 
guard.  He  would  be  too  busy  for  dreams  and 
human  longings.  As  for  herself  she  would  go 


SLEEPING    FIRES  133 

along  somehow.  Tears,  after  all,  were  a  won 
derful  solace.  Fear  had  driven  her  down  a 
light  romantic  by-way  of  her  nature.  Even  if 
days  passed  without  a  glimpse  of  him  she  could 
dwell  on  the  pleasant  thought  that  he  was  not 
far  away,  and  now  and  then  they  would  take 
a  long  walk  together. 

The  door  opened  and  Dr.  Talbot  entered. 
His  face  was  no  longer  purple.  It  was  sallow 
and  drawn.  Her  hands  trailed  off  the  keys, 
her  arms  fell  limply.  Not  even  during  an  epi 
demic,  when  he  found  little  time  for  sleep, 
had  his  round  face  lost  its  ruddy  brightness, 
his  black  eyes  their  look  of  jovial  good-fellow 
ship,  his  mouth  its  amiable  cynicism. 

"  Something  has  happened,"  she  said  faintly. 
"What  is  it?" 

"  Would  you  mind  sitting  here?  "  He  fell 
heavily  into  a  chair  and  motioned  to  one  oppo 
site.  She  left  the  shelter  of  the  piano  with 
dragging  feet,  her  own  face  drained  of  its 
color.  Ben  Travers!  She  knew  what  was 
coming. 

His  arms  lay  limply  along  the  arms  of  his 
chair.  As  she  gazed  at  him  fascinated  it 
seemed  to  her  that  he  grew  older  every  minute. 
And  she  had  never  seen  any  one  look  as  sad. 


134  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  I  have  been  a  bad  husband  to  you,"  he  said. 
And  the  life  had  gone  out  of  even  his  voice. 

"  Oh!  No!  No!  you  have  been  the  best,  the 
kindest  and  most  indulgent  of  husbands." 

"  I  have  been  worse  than  a  bad  husband," 
he  went  on  in  the  same  monotonous  voice.  "  I 
have  been  a  failure.  I  never  tried  to 
understand  you.  I  didn't  want  to  understand 
what  might  interfere  with  my  own  selfish  life. 
You  have  a  mind  and  I  ordered  you  to  feed  it 
husks.  You  asked  me  for  the  companionship 
that  was  your  right  and  I  told  you  to  go  and 
amuse  yourself  as  best  you  could.  I  fooled 
myself  with  the  excuse  that  you  were  perfect 
as  you  were,  but  the  bald  truth  was  that  I  liked 
the  society  of  men  better,  and  hated  any  form 
of  mental  exertion  unconnected  with  my  pro 
fession.  I  plucked  the  rarest  flower  a  good-for- 
nothing  man  ever  found  and  I  didn't  even  re 
member  to  give  it  fresh  water.  It  is  a  wonder 
you  didn't  wilt  before  you  did.  You  were  wilt 
ing  —  dying  mentally  —  when  Masters  came 
along.  You  found  in  him  all  that  I  had  de 
nied  you.  And  now  I  have  the  punishment  I 
deserve.  You  no  longer  love  me.  You  love 
him." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  135 

"  Oh  —  Oh  —  "  Madeleine  twisted  her 
hands  in  her  lap  and  stared  at  them.  "  You  — 
you  —  cannot  help  being  what  you  are.  I  long 
since  ceased  to  find  fault  with  you  —  " 

"  Yes,  when  you  ceased  to  love  me!  When 
you  found  that  we  were  hopelessly  mismated. 
When  you  gave  up." 

"I  —  I'm  very  fond  of  you  still.  How 
could  I  help  it  when  you  are  so  good  to  me?  " 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  your  friendship  —  or 
of  your  fidelity.  But  you  love  Masters.  Can 
you  deny  it?  " 

"  No." 

"  Are  you  preparing  to  elope  with  him?  ' 

"Oh!  No!  No!  How  could  you  dream 
of  such  a  thing?  " 

"  I  am  told  that  every  one  is  expecting  it." 

"  I  would  no  more  elope  than  I  would  ask 
for  a  divorce.  I  may  be  sinful  enough  to  love 
a  man  who  is  not  my  husband,  but  I  am  not 
bad  enough  for  that.  And  people  are  very 
stupid.  They  know  that  Langdon  Masters' 
future  lies  here.  If  I  were  as  wicked  a  woman 
as  that,  at  least  he  is  not  a  fool.  Why,  only 
today  he  received  the  capital  for  his  news 
paper." 


136  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  And  do  you  know  so  little  of  men  ana 
women  as  to  imagine  that  you  two  could  go  on 
indefinitely  content  with  the  mere  fact  that  you 
love  each  other?  I  may  not  have  known  my  own 
wife  because  I  chose  to  be  blind,  but  a  doctor 
knows  as  much  about  women  in  general  as  a 
father  confessor.  Men  and  women  are  not 
made  like  that!  It  seems  that  every  one  but 
myself  has  known  for  months  that  Masters  is 
in  love  with  you;  and  Masters  is  a  man  of 
strong  passions  and  relentless  will.  He  has 
used  his  will  so  far  to  curb  his  passions,  prin 
cipally,  no  doubt,  on  my  account ,  he  is  my 
friend  and  a  man  of  honor.  But  there  are 
moments  in  life  when  honor  as  well  as  virtue 
goes  overboard." 

"  But  —  but  —  we  have  agreed  never  to  see 
each  other  alone  again  —  except  out  of  doors." 

"  That  is  all  very  well,  but  there  are  always 
unexpected  moments  of  isolation.  The  devil 
sees  to  that.  And  while  I  have  every  confi 
dence  in  your  virtue  —  under  normal  condi 
tions  —  I  know  the  helpless  yielding  of  women 
and  the  ruthless  passions  of  men.  It  would 
be  only  a  question  of  time.  I  may  have  been  a 
bad  husband  but  I  am  mercifully  permitted  to 
save  you,  and  I  shall  do  so." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  137 

He  rose  heavily  from  his  chair.  "  Do  you 
know  where  I  can  find  Masters?  " 

She  sprang  to  her  feet  and  for  the  first  time 
in  her  life  her  voice  was  shrill. 

"  You  are  not  going  to  kill  him?  " 

"  Oh,  no.  I  am  not  going  to  kill  him.  There 
has  been  scandal  enough  already.  And  I  have 
no  desire  to  kill  him.  He  has  behaved  very 
well,  all  things  considered.  I  am  almost  as 
sorry  for  him  as  I  am  for  you  —  and  myself! 
Do  you  know  where  he  is?  " 

"  He  is  probably  dining  at  the  Union  Club 
—  or  he  may  be  at  his  new  offices.  They  are 
somewhere  on  Commercial  Street." 

He  went  out  and  Madeleine  sat  staring  at 
the  door  with  wide  eyes  and  parted  lips.  She 
felt  no  inclination  to  tears,  nor  even  to  faint, 
although  her  body  could  hardly  have  been 
colder  in  death.  She  felt  suspended  in  a 
vacuum,  awaiting  something  more  dreadful 
than  even  this  interview  with  her  husband  had 
been. 


XXIV 

DR.  TALBOT  turned  toward  the  stairs, 
but  it  occurred  to  him  that  Masters 
might  still  be  in  his  rooms  and  he  walked  to 
the  other  end  of  the  hall.  A  ringing  voice 
answered  his  knock.  He  entered.  Masters 
grasped  him  by  the  hand,  exclaiming,  "  I  was 
going  to  look  you  up  tonight  and  tell  you  the 
good  news.  Has  Madeleine  told  you?  I  have 
my  capital!  And  I  have  just  received  a  tele 
gram  from  New  York  saying  that  my  presses 
will  start  by  freight  tomorrow.  That  means 
we'll  have  our  newspaper  in  three  weeks  at 
the  outside  —  But  what  is  the  matter,  old 
chap?  I  never  saw  you  look  seedy  before. 
Suppose  we  take  a  week  oft  and  go  on  a  bear 
hunt?  It's  the  last  vacation  I  can  have  in  a 
month  of  Sundays." 

"  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  you  must  leave 
San  Francisco." 

"Oh!  "  Masters'  exuberance  dropped  like 
a  shining  cloak  from  a  figure  of  steel.  He 
138 


SLEEPING    FIRES  139 

walked  to  his  citadel,  the  hearth  rug,  and  lit  a 
cigarette. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  been  listening  to  the 
chatter  of  that  infernal  old  gossip,  Ben 
Travers." 

"  Ben  Travers  knows  me  too  well  to  bring 
any  of  his  gossip  to  me.  But  he  has  carried 
his  stories  up  and  down  the  state  j  not  only 
his  —  more  recent  discoveries,  but  evidence  he 
appears  to  have  been  collecting  for  months. 
But  he  is  only  one  of  many.  It  seems  the 
whole  town  has  known  for  a  year  or  more  that 
you  see  Madeleine  for  three  or  four  hours 
every  day,  that  you  have  managed  to  have 
those  hours  together,  no  matter  what  her  en 
gagements,  that  you  are  desperately  in  love 
with  each  other.  The  gossip  has  been  infernal. 
I  do  not  deny  that  a  good  deal  of  the  blame 
rests  on  my  shoulders.  I  not  only  neglected 
her  but  I  encouraged  her  to  see  you.  But  I 
thought  her  above  scandal  or  even  gossip,  and 
I  never  dreamed  it  was  in  her  to  love  —  to 
lose  her  head  over  any  man.  She  was  sweet 
and  affectionate  but  cold  —  my  fault  again. 
Any  man  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  mar 
ried  to  Madeleine  could  make  her  love  him  if 


I40  SLEEPING    FIRES 

he  were  not  a  selfish  fool.    Well,  I  have  been 
punished ,  but  if  I  have  lost  her  I  can  save  her 

—  and  her  reputation.     You  must  go.     There 
is  no  other  way." 

"That  is  nonsense.  You  exaggerate  be 
cause  you  are  suffering  from  a  shock.  You 
know  that  I  cannot  leave  San  Francisco  with 
this  great  newspaper  about  to  be  launched.  If 
it  is  as  bad  as  you  make  out  I  will  give  you  my 
word  not  to  see  Madeleine  again.  And  as  I 
shall  be  too  busy  for  Society  it  will  quickly  for 
get  me." 

"  Oh,  no,  it  will  not.  It  will  say  that  you 
are  both  cleverer  than  you  have  been  in  the 
past.  If  you  leave  San  Francisco  —  California 

—  for  good  and  all  —  it  may  forget  you;  not 
otherwise." 

"Do  you  know  that  you  are  asking  me -to 
give  up  my  career?  That  I  shall  never  have 
such  an  opportunity  in  my  life  again?  My 
whole  future  —  for  usefulness  as  well  as  for 
the  realization  of  my  not  ignoble  ambitions  — 
lies  in  San  Francisco  and  nowhere  else?  ' 

"  Don't  imagine  I  have  not  thought  of  that. 
And  San  Francisco  can  ill  afford  to  spare  you. 
You  are  one  of  the  greatest  assets  this  city  ever 


SLEEPING    FIRES  141 

had.  But  she  will  have  to  do  without  you  even 
if  you  never  can  be  replaced.  I  had  the  whole 
history  of  the  affair  from  Mrs.  McLane  this 
afternoon.  No  one  believes  —  yet  —  that 
things  have  reached  a  climax  between  you  and 
Madeleine.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  expect 
ing  an  elopement.  But  if  you  remain,  nothing 
on  God's  earth  can  prevent  an  abominable  scan 
dal.  Madeleine's  name  will  be  dragged 
through  the  mud.  She  will  be  cut,  cast  out  of 
Society.  Even  I  could  not  protect  her;  I 
should  be  regarded  as  a  blind  fool,  or  worse j 
for  it  will  be  known  that  Mrs.  McLane  warned 
me.  No  woman  can  keep  her  mouth  shut. 
She  and  other  powerful  women  —  even  that 
damned  old  cut-throat,  Mrs.  Abbott  —  are 
standing  by  Madeleine  loyally,  but  they  are  all 
alert  for  a  denouement  nevertheless.  If  you 
go,  that  will  satisfy  them.  Madeleine  will  be 
merely  the  heroine  of  an  unhappy  love-affair, 
and  although  nothing  will  stop  their  damned 
clacking  tongues  for  a  time,  they  will  pity  her 
and  do  their  best  to  make  her  forget." 

"  I  cannot  go.  It  is  impossible.  You  are 
asking  too  much.  And,  I  repeat,  I'll  never  see 
her  again.  Mrs.  McLane  can  be  made  to 


142  SLEEPING    FIRES 

understand  the  truth.     I'll  leave  the  hotel  to 


morrow." 


"  You  love  Madeleine,  do  you  not?  " 

"Yes  — I  do." 

"  Then  will  you  save  her  from  ruin  in  the 
only  way  possible.  It  is  not  only  her  reputa 
tion  that  I  fear.  You  know  yourself,  I  fancy. 
You  may  avoid  her,  but  you  will  hardly  deny 
that  if  circumstances  threw  you  together,  alone, 
temptation  would  be  irresistible  —  the  more  so 
as  you  would  have  ached  for  the  mere  sound  of 
her  voice  every  minute.  I  know  now  what  it 
means  to  love  Madeleine." 

Masters  turned  his  back  on  Talbot  and 
leaned  his  arms  on  the  mantel-shelf.  He  saw 
hideous  pictures  in  the  empty  grate. 

The  doctor  had  not  sat  down.  Not  a  muscle 
of  his  big  strong  body  had  moved  as  he  stood 
and  pronounced  what  was  worse  than  a  sentence 
of'  death  on  Langdon  Masters.  He  averted 
his  dull  inexorable  eyes,  for  he  dared  not  give 
way  to  sympathy.  For  the  moment  he  wished 
himself  dead  —  and  for  more  reasons  than 
one!  But  he  was  far  too  healthy  and  practical 
to  contemplate  a  dramatic  exit.  No  end  would 
be  served  if  he  did.  Madeleine's  sensitive 


SLEEPING    FIRES  143 

spirit  would  recoil  in  horror  from  a  union 
haunted  by  the  memory  of  the  crime  and 
anguish  of  the  husband  she  had  vowed  to  love 
and  obey.  Not  Madeleine!  His  remorseless 
solution  was  the  only  one. 

Masters  turned  after  a  time  and  his  face 
looked  as  old  as  Talbot's. 

"  I'll  go  if  you  are  quite  sure  it  is  necessary. 
If  you  have  not  spoken  in  the  heat  of  the 
moment." 

"  If  I  thought  for  a  month  it  would  make  no 
difference.  If  you  remain,  no  matter  what 
your  circumspection  Madeleine  will  rank  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world  with  those  harlots  over  on 
Dupont  Street.  And  be  as  much  of  an  out 
cast.  You  know  this  town.  You've  lived  in 
it  for  a  year  and  a  half.  It's  not  London,  nor 
even  New  York.  Nothing  is  hidden  here.  It 
lives  on  itself  j  it  has  nothing  else  to  live  on. 
It  is  almost  fanatically  loyal  to  its  own  until  its 
loyalty  is  thrown  in  its  face.  Then  it  is  bitterer 
than  the  wrath  of  God.  You  understand  all 
this,  don't  you?  " 

"  Yes,  I  understand.  But  —  couldn't  you 
send  Madeleine  to  her  parents  in  Boston  for 
six  months  —  she  has  never  paid  them  a  visit 


144  SLEEPING   FIRES 

—  but  no,   I   suppose   the  scandal   would  be 


worse  — " 


"  Far  worse.  It  would  look  either  as  if  she 
had  run  away  from  me  or  as  if  I  had  packed 
her  off  in  disgrace.  If  I  could  leave  my  prac 
tice  I'd  take  her  abroad  for  two  years,  but  I 
cannot.  Nor  —  to  be  frank  —  do  I  see  why 
I  should  be  sacrificed  further." 

"  Oh,  assuredly  not."  Masters*  tones  were 
even  and  excessively  polite. 

"  You  will  take  the  train  tomorrow  morning 
for  New  York?  " 

"  I  cannot  leave  San  Francisco  until  after  the 
opening  of  the  banks.  The  money  must  be  re 
funded.  Besides,  I  prefer  to  go  by  steamer. 
There  is  one  leaving  tomorrow,  I  believe.  I 
want  time  to  think  before  I  arrive  in  New 
York." 

"  And  you  will  promise  to  have  no  corre 
spondence  with  Madeleine  whatever?  " 

"You  might  leave  us  that  much!  ' 

"  The  affair  shall  end  here  and  now.  Do 
you  promise?  " 

"  Very  well.  But  I  should  like  to  see  her 
once  more." 

"  That  you  shall  not!  I  shall  not  leave  her 
until  you  are  outside  the  Golden  Gate." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  145 

"Very  well.    If  that  is  all  —  " 

"  Good-by.  You  have  behaved  —  well,  as 
our  code  commands  you  to  behave.  I  expected 
nothing  less.  Don't  imagine  I  don't  appreciate 
what  this  means  to  you.  But  you  are  a  man 
of  great  ability.  You  will  find  as  hospitable  a 
field  for  your  talents  elsewhere.  San  Fran 
cisco  is  the  chief  loser.  I  wish  you  the  best  of 
luck." 

And  he  returned  to  Madeleine. 


XXV 

MADELEINE  came  of  a  brave  race  and 
she  was  a  woman  of  intense  pride.  She 
spent  a  week  at  Congress  Springs  and  she  took 
her  courage  in  her  teeth  and  spent  another  at 
Rincona.  There  was  a  house  party  and  they 
amused  themselves  in  the  somnolent  way 
peculiar  to  Alta.  Bret  Harte  was  there,  a 
dapper  little  man,  whose  shoes  were  always  a 
size  too  small,  but  popular  with  women  as  he 
played  an  excellent  game  of  croquet  and  talked 
as  delightfully  as  he  wrote.  His  good  humor 
could  be  counted  on  if  no  one  mentioned  "  The 
Heathen  Chinee."  He  had  always  admired 
Madeleine  and  did  his  best  to  divert  her. 

Both  Mrs.  McLane  and  Mrs.  Abbott  were 
disappointed  that  they  were  given  no  op 
portunity  to  condole  with  her;  but  although 
she  gave  a  fair  imitation  of  the  old  Madeleine 
Talbot,  and  even  mentioned  Masters'  name 
with  a  casual  indifference,  no  one  was  deceived 
for  a  moment.  That  her  nerves  were  on  the 

146 


SLEEPING    FIRES  147 

rack  was  as  evident  as  that  her  watchful  pride 
was  in  arms,  and  although  it  was  obvious  that 
she  had  foresworn  the  luxury  of  tears,  her  eyes 
had  a  curious  habit  of  looking  through  and  be 
yond  these  good  ladies  until  they  had  the  un 
comfortable  sensation  that  they  were  not  there 
and  some  one  else  was.  They  wondered  if 
Langdon  Masters  were  dead  and  she  saw  his 
ghost. 

The  summer  was  almost  over.  After  a  visit 
to  Sally  Abbott  on  Lake  Merritt,  she  returned 
to  town  with  the  rest  of  the  fashionable  world. 
People  had  never  been  kinder  to  her;  and  if 
their  persistent  attentions  were  strongly  diluted 
with  curiosity,  who  shall  blame  them?  It  was 
not  every  day  they  had  a  blighted  heroine  of 
romance,  who,  moreover,  looked  as  if  she  were 
going  into  a  decline.  She  grew  thinner  every 
day.  Her  white  skin  was  colorless  and  trans 
parent.  They  might  not  have  her  for  long, 
poor  darling!  How  they  pitied  her!  But 
they  never  wished  they  had  let  her  alone.  It 
was  all  for  the  best.  And  what  woman  ever 
had  so  devoted  a  husband?  He  went  with  her 
everywhere.  He,  too,  looked  as  if  he  had  been 
through  the  mill,  poor  dear,  but  at  least  he  had 


148  SLEEPING    FIRES 

won  a  close  race,  and  he  deserved  and  received 
the  sympathy  of  his  faithful  friends.  As  for 
that  ungrateful  brute,  Langdon  Masters,  he  had 
not  written  a  line  to  any  one  in  San  Francisco 
since  he  left.  Not  one  had  an  idea  what  had 
become  of  him.  Did  he  secretly  correspond 
with  Madeleine?  (They  would  have  per 
mitted  her  that  much.)  Would  he  blow  out 
his  brains  if  she  died  of  consumption?  He  was 
no  philanderer.  If  he  hadn't  really  loved  her 
nothing  would  have  torn  him  from  San  Fran 
cisco  and  his  brilliant  careerj  of  course.  Duel 
ling  days  were  over,  and  the  doctor  was  not  the 
man  to  shoot  another  down  in  cold  blood,  with 
no  better  excuse  than  the  poor  things  had  given 
him.  It  was  all  very  thrilling  and  romantic. 
Even  the  girls  talked  of  little  else,  and  re 
garded  their  complacent  prosperous  swains  with 
disfavor.  "  The  Long  Long  Weary  Day  " 
was  their  favorite  song.  They  wished  that 
Madeleine  lived  in  a  moated  grange  instead  of 
the  Occidental  Hotel. 

Madeleine  had  had  her  own  room  from  the 
beginning  of  her  married  life  in  San  Francisco, 
as  the  doctor  was  frequently  called  out  at  night. 
When  Howard  had  returned  and  told  her  that 


SLEEPING    FIRES  149 

Masters  would  leave  on  the  morrow  and  that 
she  was  not  to  see  him  again,  she  had  walked 
quietly  into  her  bedroom  and  locked  the  door 
that  led  to  hisj  and  she  had  never  turned  the 
key  since. 

Talbot  made  no  protest.  He  had  no  spirit 
left  where  Madeleine  was  concerned,  but  it 
was  his  humble  hope  to  win  her  back  by  unceas 
ing  devotion  and  consideration,  aided  by  time. 
He  not  only  never  mentioned  Masters'  name, 
but  he  wooed  her  in  blundering  male  fashion. 
Not  a  day  passed  that  he  did  not  send  her 
flowers.  He  bought  her  trinkets  and  several 
valuable  jewels,  and  he  presented  her  with  a 
victoria,  drawn  by  a  fine  sorrel  mare,  and  a 
coachman  in  livery  on  the  box. 

Madeleine  treated  him  exactly  as  she  treated 
her  host  at  a  dinner.  She  was  as  amiable  as 
ever  at  the  breakfast  table,  and  when  he  de 
serted  his  club  of  an  evening,  she  sat  at  her 
embroidery  frame  and  told  him  the  gossip  of 
the  day. 


XXVI 

ONE  evening  at  the  end  of  two  long  hours, 
when  he  had  heroically  suppressed  his 
longing  for  a  game  of  poker,  he  said  hesi 
tatingly,  "  I  thought  you  were  so  fond  of  read 
ing.  I  don't  see  any  books  about.  All  the 
women  are  reading  a  novel  called  c  Quits.'  I'll 
send  it  up  to  you  in  the  morning  if  you  haven't 
read  it." 

For  the  first  time  since  Masters'  departure 
the  blood  rose  in  Madeleine's  face,  but  she 
answered  calmly: 

"  Thanks.  I  have  little  time  for  reading,  as 
I  have  developed  quite  a  passion  for  embroid 
ery  and  I  practice  a  good  deal.  This  is  a 
handkerchief -case  for  Mrs.  McLane.  Of 
course  I  must  read  '  Quits,'  however,  and  also 
c  The  Initials.'  One  mustn't  be  behind  the 
times.  If  you'll  step  into  Beach's  tomorrow 
and  order  them  I'll  be  grateful." 

"  Of  course  I  will.  Should  —  should  —  you 
like  me  to  read  to  you?  I'm  a  pretty  bad 
reader,  I  guess,  but  I'll  do  my  best." 

150 


SLEEPING    FIRES  151 

"  Oh  —  is  there  an  earthquake?  " 

"  No!  But  your  nerves  are  in  a  bad  state. 
I'll  get  you  a  glass  of  port  wine." 

He  went  heavily  over  to  the  cupboard,  but 
his  hand  was  shaking  as  he  poured  out  the  wine. 
He  drank  a  glass  himself  before  returning  to 
her. 

'  Thanks.  You  take  very  good  care  of  me." 
And  she  gave  him  the  gracious  smile  of  a  grate 
ful  patient. 

"  I  don't  think  you'd  better  go  out  any  more 
at  night  for  a  while.  You  are  far  from  well, 
you  know,  and  you're  not  picking  up." 

"  A  call  for  you,  I  suppose.    Too  bad." 

There  had  been  a  peremptory  knock  on  the 
door.  A  coachman  stood  without.  Would  Dr. 
Talbot  come  at  once?  A  new  San  Franciscan 
was  imminent  via  Mrs.  Alexander  Groome  on 
Ballinger  Hill. 

The  doctor  grumbled. 

"  And  raining  cats  and  dogs.  Why  couldn't 
she  wait  until  tomorrow?  We'll  probably  get 
stuck  in  the  mud.  Damn  women  and  their 
everlasting  babies." 

She  helped  him  into  his  overcoat  and  wished 
him  a  pleasant  good-night.  It  was  long  since 


152  SLEEPING    FIRES 

she  had  lifted  her  cheek  for  his  old  hasty  kiss, 
and  he  made  no  protest.  He  had  time  on  his 
side. 

She  did  not  return  to  her  embroidery  frame 
but  stood  for  several  moments  looking  at  the 
chest  near  the  fireplace.  She  had  not  opened 
it  since  Masters  left.  His  library  had  been 
packed  and  sent  after  him  by  one  of  his  friends, 
but  no  one  had  known  of  the  books  in  her  pos 
session.  Masters  certainly  had  not  thought  of 
them  and  she  was  in  no  condition  to  remember 
them  herself  at  the  time. 

She  had  not  dared  to  look  at  them!  To 
night,  however,  she  moved  slowly  toward  the 
chest.  She  looked  like  a  sleep-walker.  When 
she  reached  it  she  knelt  down  and  opened  it 
and  gathered  the  books  in  her  arms.  When  her 
husband  returned  two  hours  later  she  lay  on  the 
floor  in  a  dead  faint,  the  books  scattered  about 
her. 


XXVII 

IT  WAS  morning  before  he  could  revive  her, 
and  two  days  before  she  could  leave  her 
bed.  Then  she  developed  the  hacking  cough 
he  dreaded.  He  took  her  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands  and  kept  her  there  for  a  month.  The 
even  climate  and  the  sea  voyage  seemed  to 
relieve  her,  but  when  they  returned  to  San 
Francisco  she  began  to  cough  again. 

Do  women  go  into  a  decline  these  days  from 
corroding  love  and  hope  in  ruins?  If  so,  one 
never  hears  of  it  and  the  disease  is  unfashion 
able  in  modern  fiction.  But  in  that  era  woman 
was  woman  and  little  besides.  If  a  woman  of 
the  fashionable  world  she  had  Society  besides 
her  family  and  housekeeping.  She  rarely 
travelled,  certainly  not  from  California,  and  if 
one  of  her  band  fell  upon  evil  days  and  was 
forced  to  teach  school,  knit  baby  sacques,  or 
keep  a  boarding-house,  she  was  pitied  but  by 
no  means  emulated.  Madeleine  had  neither 
house  nor  children,  and  more  money  than  she 
153 


154  SLEEPING    FIRES 

could  spend.  She  had  nothing  to  ask  of  life 
but  happiness  and  that  was  for  ever  denied  her. 
Masters  had  never  been  out  of  her  mind  for  a 
moment  during  her  waking  hours,  and  she  had 
slept  little.  She  ate  still  less,  and  kept  herself 
up  in  Society  with  punch  in  the  afternoon  and 
champagne  at  night.  Only  in  the  solitude  of 
her  room  did  she  give  way  briefly  to  excoriated 
nerves ;  but  the  source  of  her  once  ready  tears 
seemed  dry.  There  are  more  scientific  terms 
for  her  condition  these  days,  but  she  was 
poisoned  by  love  and  despair.  Her  collapse 
was  only  a  matter  of  time. 

Dr.  Talbot  knew  nothing  about  psychology 
but  he  knew  a  good  deal  about  consumption. 
He  had  also  arrested  it  in  its  earlier  stages  more 
than  once.  He  plied  Madeleine  with  the  good 
old  remedies:  eggnog,  a  raw  egg  in  a  glass 
of  sherry,  port  wine,  mellow  Bourbon  whiskey 
and  cream.  She  had  no  desire  to  recover  and 
he  stood  over  her  while  she  drank  his  potions 
lest  she  pour  them  down  the  washstandj  and 
some  measure  of  her  strength  returned.  She 
fainted  no  more  and  her  cough  disappeared. 
The  stimulants  gave  her  color  and  her  figure 
began  to  fill  out  again.  But  her  thoughts,  save 


SLEEPING    FIRES  155 

when  muddled  by  her  tonics,  never  wandered 
from  Masters  for  a  moment. 

The  longing  to  hear  from  him  grew  uncon 
trollable  with  her  returning  vitality.  She  had 
hoped  that  he  would  break  his  promise  and 
write  to  her  once  at  least.  He  knew  her  too 
well  not  to  measure  the  extent  of  her  suffer 
ings,  and  common  humanity  would  have  justi 
fied  him.  But  his  ship  might  have  sunk  with 
all  on  board  for  any  sign  he  gave.  Others  had 
ceased  to  grumble  at  his  silence;  his  name  was 
rarely  mentioned. 

If  she  had  known  his  address  she  would  have 
written  to  him  and  demanded  one  letter.  She 
had  given  no  promise.  Her  husband  had  com 
manded  and  she  had  obeyed.  She  had  always 
obeyed  him,  as  she  had  vowed  at  the  altar. 
But  she  had  her  share  of  feminine  guile,  and 
if  she  had  known  where  to  address  Masters 
she  would  have  quieted  her  conscience  with  the 
assurance  that  a  letter  from  him  was  a  necessary 
part  of  her  cure.  She  felt  that  the  mere  sight 
of  his  handwriting  on  an  envelope  addreawd 
to  herself  would  transport  her  back  to  that  hour 
in  Dolores,  and  if  she  could  correspond  with 
him  life  would  no  longer  be  unendurable.  But 


156  SLEEPING    FIRES 

although  he  had  casually  alluded  to  his  club 
in  New  York  she  could  not  recall  the  name,  if 
he  had  mentioned  it. 

She  went  to  the  Mercantile  Library  one  day 
and  looked  over  files  of  magazines  and  reviews. 
His  name  appeared  in  none  of  them.  It  was 
useless  to  look  over  newspaper  files,  as  edi 
torials  were  not  signed.  But  he  must  be  writ 
ing  for  one  of  them.  He  had  his  immediate 
living  to  make. 

What  should  she  do? 

As  she  groped  her  way  down  the  dark  stair 
case  of  the  library  she  remembered  the  news 
paper  friend,  Ralph  Holt,  who  had  packed  his 
books  —  so  the  chambermaid  had  informed  her 
casually  —  and  whom  she  had  met  once  when 
walking  with  Masters.  He,  if  any  one,  would 
know  Masters'  address.  But  how  meet  him? 
He^did  not  go  in  Society,  and  she  had  never 
seen  him  since.  She  could  think  of  no  excuse 
to  ask  him  to  call.  Nor  was  it  possible  —  to 
her,  at  least  —  to  write  a  note  and  ask  him  for 
information  outright. 

But  by  this  time  she  was  desperate.  See 
Holt  she  would,  and  after  a  few  moments' 
hard  thinking  her  feminine  ingenuity  flashed 


SLEEPING    FIRES  157 

a  beacon.  Holt  was  one  of  the  sub-editors  of 
his  newspaper  and  although  he  had  been  about 
to  resign  and  join  Masters,  no  doubt  he  was 
on  the  staff  still.  Madeleine  remembered  that 
Masters  had  often  spoken  of  a  French  restau 
rant  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Alfa  offices, 
patronized  by  newspaper  men.  The  cooking 
was  excellent.  He  often  lunched  there  him 
self. 

She  glanced  at  her  watch.  It  was  one  o'clock. 
She  walked  quickly  toward  the  restaurant. 


XXVIII 

SHE  ENTERED  in  some  trepidation.  She 
had  never  visited  a  restaurant  alone  before. 
And  this  one  was  crowded  with  men,  the  at 
mosphere  thick  with  smoke.  She  asked  the 
fat  little  proprietor  if  she  might  have  a  table 
alone,  and  he  conducted  her  to  the  end  of  the 
room,  astonished  but  flattered.  A  few  women 
came  to  the  restaurant  occasionally  to  lunch 
with  "  their  boys,"  but  no  such  lady  of  the  haut 
ton  as  this.  A  fashionable  woman's  caprice,  no 
doubt. 

Her  seat  faced  the  room,  and  as  she  felt  the 
men  staring  at  her,  she  studied  the  menu  care 
fully  and  did  not  raise  her  eyes  until  she  gave 
her  order.  In  spite  of  her  mission  and  its  tragic 
cause  she  experienced  a  fleeting  satisfaction  that 
she  was  well  and  becomingly  dressed.  She  had 
intended  dropping  in  informally  on  Sibyl 
Forbes,  still  an  outcast,  in  spite  of  her  interces 
sion,  and  wore  a  gown  of  dove-colored  cash 
mere  and  a  hat  of  the  same  shade  with  a  long 
lilac  feather. 

158 


SLEEPING    FIRES  159 

She  summoned  her  courage  and  glanced 
about  the  room,  her  eyes  casual  and  remote. 
Would  it  be  possible  to  recognize  any  one  in 
that  smoke?  But  she  saw  Holt  almost  im 
mediately.  He  sat  at  a  table  not  far  from  her 
own.  She  bowed  cordially  and  received  as 
frigid  a  response  as  Mrs.  Abbott  would  have 
bestowed  on  Sibyl  Forbes. 

Madeleine  colored  and  dropped  her  eyes 
again.  Of  course  he  knew  her  for  the  cause 
of  Masters'  desertion  of  the  city  that  needed 
him,  and  the  disappointment  of  his  own  hopes 
and  ambitions.  Moreover,  she  had  inferred 
from  his  conversation  the  day  they  had  all 
walked  together  for  half  an  hour  that  he  re 
garded  Masters  as  little  short  of  a  god.  He 
was  several  years  younger,  he  was  clever  him 
self,  and  nothing  like  Masters  had  ever  come 
his  way.  He  had  declared  that  the  projected 
newspaper  was  to  be  the  greatest  in  America. 
She  had  smiled  at  his  boyish  enthusiasm,  but 
without  it  she  would  probably  have  forgotten 
him.  She  had  resented  his  presence  at  the 
time. 

Of  course  he  hated  her.  But  she  had  come 
too  far  to  fail.  He  passed  her  table  a  few 


160  SLEEPING    FIRES 

moments  later  and  she  held  out  her  hand  with 
her  sweetest  smile. 

"  Sit  down  a  moment,"  she  said  with  her 
pretty  air  of  command;  and  although  his  face 
did  not  relax  he  could  do  no  less  than  obey. 

"  I  feel  more  comfortable,"  she  said.  "  I 
had  no  idea  I  should  be  the  only  lady  here. 
But  Mr.  Masters  so  often  spoke  to  me  of  this 
restaurant  that  I  have  always  meant  to  visit 
it."  She  did  not  flutter  an  eyelash  as  she 
uttered  Masters'  name,  and  her  lovely  eyes 
seemed  wooing  Holt  to  remain  at  her  side. 

"  Heartless,  like  all  the  rest  of  them," 
thought  the  young  man  wrathfully.  "  Well, 
Pll  give  her  one  straight." 

"  Have  you  heard  from  him  lately?  "  she 
asked,  as  the  waiter  placed  the  dishes  on  the 
table.  "  He  hasn't  written  to  one  of  his  old 
friends  since  he  left,  and  I've  often  wondered 
what  has1  become  of  him." 

"  He's  gone  to  the  devil !  "  said  Holt  bru 
tally.  "  And  I  guess  you  know  where  the  blame 
lies  —  Oh  !  -  -  Drink  this  !  "  He  hastily 
poured  out  a  glass  of  claret.  "  Here  !  Drink 
it  !  Brace  up,  for  God's  sake.  Don't  give 
yourself  away  before  all  these  fellows." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  161 

Madeleine  swallowed  the  claret  but  pushed 
back  her  chair.  "  Take  me  away  quickly,"  she 
muttered.  "  I  don't  care  what  they  think. 
Take  me  where  you  can  tell  me  —  " 

He  drew  her  hand  through  his  arm,  for  he 
was  afraid  she  would  fall,  and  as  he  led  her 
down  the  room  he  remarked  audibly,  "  No 
wonder  you  feel  faint.  There's  no  air  in  the 
place,  and  you've  probably  never  seen  so  much 
smoke  in  your  life  before." 

At  the  door  he  nodded  to  the  anxious  proprie 
tor,  and  when  they  reached  the  sidewalk  asked 
if  he  should  take  her  home. 

"  No.  I  must  talk  to  you  alone.  There  is 
a  hack.  Let  us  drive  somewhere." 

He  handed  her  into  the  hack,  telling  the  man 
to  drive  where  he  liked  as  long  as  he  avoided 
the  Cliff  House  Road.  Madeleine  shrank  into 
a  corner  and  began  to  cry  wildly.  He  regarded 
her  with  anxiety,  and  less  hostility  in  his  bright 
blue  eyes. 

"  Pm  awfully  sorry,"  he  said.  "I  was  a 
brute*  But  I  thought  you  would  know  —  I 
thought  other  things  —  " 

"  I  knew  nothing,  but  I  can't  believe  it  is  true. 
There  must  be  some  mistake.  He  is  not  like 
that." 


162  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"That's  what's  happened.  You  see,  his 
world  went  to  smash.  That  was  the  oppor 
tunity  of  his  life,  and  such  opportunities  don't 
come  twice.  He  has  no  capital  of  his  own,  and 
he  can't  raise  money  in  New  York.  Besides, 
he  didn't  want  a  newspaper  anywhere  else. 
And  —  and  —  of  course,  you  know,  newspaper 
men  hear  all  the  talk  —  he  was  terribly  hard 
hit.  I  couldn't  help  feeling  a  little  sorry  for 
you  when  I  heard  you  were  ill  and  all  the  rest; 
but  today  you  looked  as  if  you  had  forgotten 
poor  Masters  had  ever  lived --just  a  Society 
butterfly  and  a  coquette." 

"Oh,  I'm  not  blaming  you!  Perhaps  it 
is  all  my  fault.  I  don't  know!  — But  that! 
I  can't  believe  it.  I  never  knew  a  man  with 
as  strong  a  character.  He  —  he  —  always 
could  control  himself.  And  he  had  too  much 
pride  and  ambition." 

"  I  guess  you  don't  know  it,  but  he  had  a 
weak  spot  for  liquor.  That  is  the  reason  he 
drank  less  than  the  rest  of  us  —  and  that  did 
show  strength  of  character:  that  he  could  drink 
at  all.  I  only  saw  him  half-seas  over  once. 
He  told  me  then  he  was  always  on  the  watch 
lest  it  get  the  best  of  him.  His  father  drank 


SLEEPING    FIRES  163 

himself  to  death  after  the  war,  and  his  grand 
father  from  mere  love  of  his  cups.  Nothing 
but  a  hopeless  smash-up,  though,  would  ever 
have  let  it  get  the  best  of  him.  ...  He  was 
terribly  high-strung  under  all  that  fine  repose 
of  his,  and  although  his  mind  was  like 
polished  metal  in  a  way,  it  was  full  of 
quicksilver.  When  a  man  like  that  lets  go  — 
nothing  left  to  hold  on  to  —  he  goes  down  hill 
at  ten  times  the  pace  of  an  ordinary  chap.  I  — 
I  —  suppose  I  may  as  well  tell  you  the  whole 
truth.  He  never  drew  a  sober  breath  on  the 
steamer  and  he's  been  drunk  more  or  less  ever 
since  he  arrived  in  New  York.  Of  course  he 
writes  —  has  to  —  but  can't  hold  down  any  re 
sponsible  position.  They'd  be  glad  to  give  him 
the  best  salary  paid  if  he'd  sober  up,  but  he  gets 
worse  instead  of  better.  He's  been  thrown  off 
two  papers  already;  and  it's  only  because  he  can 
write  better  drunk  than  most  men  sober  that  he 
sells  an  article  now  and  again  when  he  has  to." 
Madeleine  had  torn  her  handkerchief  to 
pieces.  She  no  longer  wept.  Her  eyes  were 
wide  with  horror.  He  fancied  he  saw  awful 
visions  in  them.  Fearing  she  might  faint  or 
have  hysterics,  he  hastily  extracted  a  brandy 
flask  from  his  pocket. 


164  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"Do  you  mind?"  he  asked  diffidently. 
"  Sorry  I  haven't  a  glass,  but  this  is  the  first 
time  Pve  taken  the  cork  out." 

She  lifted  the  flask  obediently  and  took  a 
draught  that  commanded  his  respect. 

She  smiled  faintly  as  she  met  his  wide-eyed 
regard.  "  My  husband  makes  me  live  on  this 
stuff.  I  was  threatened  with  consumption.  It 
affects-  me  very  little,  but  it  helps  me  in  more 
ways  than  one." 

"  Well,  don't  let  it  help  you  too  much.  I 
suppose  the  doctor  knows  best  —  but  —  well,  it 
gets  a  hold  on  you  when  you  are  down  on  your 
luck." 

"  If  it  ever  c  gets  a  hold  '  on  me  it  will  be 
cause  I  deliberately  wish  it  to,"  she  said 
haughtily.  "  If  Langdon  Masters  —  has  gone 
as  far  as  you  say,  I  don't  believe  it  is  through 
any  inherited  weakness.  He  has  done  it  de 
liberately." 

"  I  grant  that.  And  I'm  sorry  if  I  offended 
you  —  " 

"  I  am  only  grateful  to  you.  I  feel  better 
now  and  can  think  a  little.  Something  must  be 
done.  Surely  he  can  be  saved." 

"  I  doubt  it.     When  a  man  starts  scientifi- 


SLEEPING    FIRES  165 

cally  drinking  himself  to  death  nothing  can  be 
done  when  there  is  nothing  better  to  offer  him. 
May  I  be  frank  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  frank  enough !  " 

"  Masters  told  me  nothing  of  course,  but  I 
heard  all  the  talk.  Old  Travers  let  out  his 
part  of  it  in  his  cups,  and  news  travels  from 
the  Clubs  like  water  out  of  a  sieve.  We  don't 
publish  that  sort  of  muck,  but  there  were  innu 
endoes  in  that  blackguard  sheet,  The  Boom. 
They  stopped  suddenly  and  I  fancy  the  editor 
had  a  taste  of  the  horsewhip.  It  wouldn't  be  the 
first  time.  .  .  .  When  Masters  sent  for  me  and 
told  me  he  was  leaving  San  Francisco  for  good 
and  all,  he  looked  like  a  man  who  had  been 
through  Bore's  Hell  —  was  there  still,  for  that 
matter.  Of  course  I  knew  what  had  happened; 
if  I  hadn't  I'd  have  known  it  the  next  day  when 
I  saw  the  doctor.  He  looked  bad  enough,  but 
nothing  to  Masters.  He  had  less  reason  !  Of 

urse  Masters  threw  his  career  to  the  winds  to 

ve  your  good  name.  Noblesse  oblige.  Too 
l>:id  he  wasn't  more  of  a  villain  and  Jess  of  a 
great  gentleman.  It  might  have  been  better  all 
round.  This  town  certainly  needs  him." 

'  If  he  were  not  a  great  gentleman  nothing 


1 66  SLEEPING    FIRES 

would  have  happened  in  the  first  place,"  she 
said  with  cool  pride.  "  But  I  asked  you  if  there 
were  no  way  to  save  him." 

"  I  can  think  of  only  two  ways.  If  your 
husband  would  write  and  ask  him  to  return  to 
San  Francisco  — " 

"  He'd  never  do  that." 

"  Then  you  might  —  you  might  —  "  He 
was  fair  and  blushed  easily.  Being  secretly  a 
sentimental  youth  he  was  shy  of  any  of  the 
verbal  expressions  of  sentiment  j  but  he  swal 
lowed  and  continued  heroically.  "  You  — 
you  —  I  think  you  love  him.  I  can  see  you 
are  not  heartless,  that  you  are  terribly  cut  up. 
If  you  love  him  enough  you  might  save  him. 
A  man  like  Masters  can  quit  cold  no  matter 
how  far  he  has  gone  if  the  inducement  is  great 
enough.  If  you  went  to  New  York  —  " 

He  paused  and  glanced  at  her  apprehensively, 
but  although  she  had  gasped  she  only  shook  her 
head  sadly. 

"  I'll  never  break  my  husband's  heart  and  the 
vows  I  made  at  the  altar,  no  matter  what 
happens." 

"  Oh,  you  good  women  !  I  believe  you  are 
at  the  root  of  more  disaster  than  all  the  strum 
pets  put  together!  ' 


SLEEPING    FIRES  167 

l'  It  may  be.  I  remember  he  once  said  some 
thing  of  the  sort.  But  he  loved  me  for  what 
I  am  and  I  cannot  change  myself." 

"  You  could  get  a  divorce." 

u  I  have  no  ground.  And  I  would  not  if  I 
had.  He  knows  that." 

"No  wonder  he  is  without  hope!  But  I 
don't  pretend  to  understand  women.  You'll 
leave  him  in  the  gutter  then?  " 

"Don't! --Don't--" 

"  Well,  if  he  isn't  there  literally  he  soon  will 
be.  I've  seen  men  of  your  set  in  the  gutter 
here  when  they'd  only  been  on  a  spree  for  a 
week.  Take  Alexander  Groome  and  Jack  Bel- 
mont,  for  instance.  And  after  the  gutter  it  is 
sometimes  the  calaboose." 

'  You  are  cruel,  and  perhaps  I  deserve  it. 
But  if  you  will  give  me  his  address  I  will  write 
to  him." 

"  I  wouldn't.  He  might  be  too  drunk  to 
read  your  letter,  and  lose  it.  Or  he  might  tear 
it  up  in  a  fury.  I  don't  fancy  even  drink  could 
make  Langdon  Masters  maudlin,  and  the  sight 
of  your  handwriting  would  be  more  likely  to 
make  him  empty  the  bottle  with  a  curse  than  to 
awaken  tender  sentiment.  Anyhow,  it  would 


1 68  SLEEPING    FIRES 

be  a  risk.  Some  blackguard  might  get  hold 
of  it." 

"  Very  well,  I'll  not  write.  Will  you  tell  the 
man  to  drive  to  the  Occidental  Hotel  ?  " 

He  gave  the  order  and  when  he  drew  in  his 
head  she  laid  her  hand  on  his  and  said  in  her 
sweet  voice  and  with  her  soft  eyes  raised  to  his 
(he  no  longer  wondered  that  Masters  had  lost 
his  head  over  her),  "  I  want  to  thank  you  for 
the  kindness  you  have  shown  me  and  the  care 
you  took  of  me  in  that  restaurant.  What  you 
have  told  me  has  destroyed  the  little  peace  of 
mind  I  had  left,  but  at  least  I'm  no  longer  in  the 
dark.  I  will  confess  that  I  went  to  that  restau 
rant  in  the  hope  of  seeing  you  and  learning 
something  about  Masters.  Nor  do  I  mind  that 
I  have  revealed  myself  to  you  without  shame. 
I  have  had  no  confidant  throughout  all  this 
terrible  time  and  it  has  been  a  relief.  I  sup 
pose  it  is  always  easier  to  be  frank  with  a 
stranger  than  with  even  the  best  of  friends." 

"  Thanks.  But  Pd  like  you  to  know  that  I 
am  your  friend.  I'd  do  anything  I  could  for 
you  —  for  Masters'  sake  as  well  as  your  own. 
It's  an  awful  mess.  Perhaps  you'll  think  of 
some  solution." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  169 

"  I've  thought  of  one  as  far  as  I  am  con 
cerned.  I  shall  drink  myself  to  death." 

"What?"  He  was  sitting  sideways,  em 
bracing  his  knees,  and  he  just  managed  to  save 
himself  from  toppling  over.  "  Have  you  gone 
clean  out  of  your  head?" 

"  Oh,  no.  Not  yet.  But  I  shall  do  as  I 
said.  If  I  cannot  follow  him  I  can  follow  his 
example.  Why  should  he  go  to  the  dogs  and 
I  go  through  life  with  the  respect  and  approval 
of  the  world  ?  He  is  far  greater  than  I  — 
and  better.  I  can  at  least  share  his  disgrace, 
and  I  shall  also  forget  —  and,  it  may  be,  de 
lude  myself  that  I  am  with  him  at  times." 

"  My  God  !  The  logic  of  women  !  How 
happy  do  you  think  that  will  make  your  hus 
band?  Good  old  sport,  the  doctor  —  and  as 
for  religion  —  and  vows!" 

"  One  can  stand  so  much  and  no  more.  I 
have  reached  the  breaking  point  here  in  this 
carriage.  It  is  that  or  suicide,  and  that  would 
bring  open  disgrace  on  my  husband.  The  other 
would  only  be  suspected.  And  I'll  not  last 
long." 

The  hack  stopped  in  front  of  the  hotel.  She 
gave  him  her  hand  after  he  had  escorted  her  to 


170  SLEEPING    FIRES 

the  door.  "  Thank  you  once  more.  And  I'd 
be  grateful  if  you  would  come  and  tell  me  if 
you  have  any  further  news  of  him  —  no  matter 
what.  Will  you?" 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  "  But  I  feel  like  going  off 
and  getting  drunk,  myself.  I  wish  I  hadn't 
told  you  a  thing." 

"  It  wouldn't  have  made  much  difference. 
If  you  know  it  others  must,  and  I'd  have  heard 
it  sooner  or  later.  I  hope  you'll  call  in  any 
case." 

He  promised;  but  the  next  time  he  saw  her 
it  was  not  in  a  drawing-room. 


XXIX 

MADELEINE  had  reached  the  calmness 
of  despair  once  more,  and  this  time  with 
out  a  glimmer  of  hope.  Life  had  showered  its 
gifts  sardonically  upon  her  before  breaking  her 
in  her  youth,  and  there  was  still  a  resource  in  its 
budget  that  it  had  no  power  to  withhold.  She 
¥Fas  a  firm  believer  in  the  dogmas  of  the  Church 
and  knew  that  she  would  be  punished  hereafter. 
Well,  so  would  he.  It  might  be  they  would 
be  permitted  to  endure  their  punishment  to 
gether.  And  meanwhile,  there  was  oblivion, 
delusions  possibly,  and  then  death. 

It  was  summer  and  there  were  no  engage 
ments  to  break.  The  doctor  was  caught  in  the 
whirlwind  of  another  small-pox  epidemic  and 
lived  in  rooms  he  reserved  for  the  purpose. 
He  did  not  insist  upon  her  departure  from  town 
as  he  knew  her  to  be  immune,  and  he  thought 
it  best  she  should  remain  where  she  could  pur 
sue  her  regimen  uninterrupted;  and  tax  her 
strength  as  little  as  possible.  If  he  did  not 

171 


172  SLEEPING    FIRES 

dismiss  her  from  his  mind  at  least  he  had  not 
a  misgiving.  She  had  never  disobeyed  him, 
she  appeared  to  have  forgotten  Masters  at  last, 
she  took  her  tonics  automatically,  and  there  were 
good  plays  in  town.  In  a  few  months  she 
would  be  restored  to  health  and  himself. 

He  returned  to  the  hotel  at  the  end  of  six 
weeks.  It  was  the  dinner  hour  but  his  wife  was 
not  at  the  piano.  He  tapped  on  the  door  that 
led  from  the  parlor  to  her  bedroom,  and 
although  there  was  no  response  he  turned  the 
knob  and  entered. 

Madeleine  was  lying  on  the  bed,  asleep 
apparently. 

He  went  forward  anxiously  j  he  had  never 
known  her  to  sleep  at  this  hour  before.  He 
touched  her  lightly  on  the  shoulder,  but  she  did 
not  awaken.  Then  he  bent  over  her,  and  drew 
back  with  a  frown.  But  although  horrified  he 
was  far  from  suspecting  the  whole  truth.  He 
had  been  compelled  to  break  more  than  one 
patient  of  too  ardent  a  fidelity  to  his  prescrip 
tions. 

He  forced  an  emetic  down  her  throat,  but  it 
had  no  effect.  Then  he  picked  her  up  and 
carried  her  into  the  bath  room  and  held  her 


SLEEPING    FIRES  173 

head  under  the  shower.  The  blood  flowed 
down  from  her  congested  brain.  She  struggled 
out  of  his  arms  and  looked  at  him  with  dull 
angry  eyes. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  she  demanded. 
"  How  dared  you  do  such  a  thing  to  me  ?  ' 

"  You  had  taken  too  much,  my  dear,"  he  said 
kindly.  "Or  else  it  affects  you  more  than  it 
did  —  possibly  because  you  no  longer  need  it. 
I  shall  taper  you  off  by  degrees,  and  then  I 
think  we  can  do  without  it." 

"  Without  it  ?  I  couldn't  live  without  it. 
I  need  more  —  and  more  —  "  She  looked  about 
wildly. 

"  Oh,  that  is  all  right.  They  always  think  so 
at  first.  In  six  months  you  will  have  forgotten 
it.  Remember,  I  am  a  doctor  —  and  a  good 
one,  if  I  say  so  myself." 

She  dropped  her  eyes.  "Very  well,"  she 
said  humbly.  "  Of  course  you  know  best." 

"  Now,  put  on  dry  clothes  and  let  us  have 
dinner.  It  seems  a  year  since  I  dined  with 
you." 

"  I  haven't  the  strength." 

He  went  into  the  parlor  and  returned  with  a 
small  glass  of  cognac.  "  This  will  brace  you 


174  SLEEPING    FIRES 

up,  and,  as  I  said,  you  must  taper  off.  But  Pll 
measure  the  doses  myself,  hereafter." 

She  put  on  an  evening  gown,  but  with  none 
of  her  old  niceness  of  detail.  She  merely  put 
it  on.  Her  wet  hair  she  twisted  into  a  knot 
without  glancing  at  the  mirror.  As  she  entered 
the  parlor  she  staggered  slightly.  Talbot 
averted  his  eyes.  He  may  have  had  similar 
cases,  and,  as  a  doctor,  become  hardened  to  all 
manifestations  of  human  weakness,  but  this 
patient  was  his  wife.  It  was  only  temporary, 
of  course,  and  a  not  unnatural  sequel.  But 
Madeleine  !  He  felt  as  a  priest  might  if  a 
statue  of  the  Virgin  opened  its  mouth  and 
poured  forth  a  stream  of  blasphemy. 

Then  he  went  forward  and  put  his  arm  about 
her.  "  Brace  up,"  he  said.  "  I  hear  the 
waiters  in  the  dining-room.  They  must  not  see 
you  like  this.  Where  —  where  have  you  taken 
your  meals  ?  " 

"  In  my  bedroom." 

"  I  hoped  so.     Has  any  one  seen  you  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  —  no.  I  think  not.  I  have 
been  careful  enough.  I  do  not  wish  to  dis 
grace  you." 

He  was  obliged  to  give  her  another  glass  of 


SLEEPING    FIRES  175 

cognac,  and  she  sat  through  the  dinner  without 
betraying  herself,  although  she  would  eat 
nothing.  She  was  sullen  and  talked  little,  and 
when  the  meal  was  over  she  went  directly  to 
bed. 

Dr.  Talbot  followed  her,  however,  and 
searched  her  wardrobe  and  bureau  drawers. 
He  found  nothing.  When  he  returned  to  the 
parlor  he  locked  the  cupboard  where  he  kept  his 
hospitable  stores  and  put  the  key  in  his  pocket. 
But  he  did  not  go  out,  and  toward  midnight  he 
heard  her  moving  restlessly  about  her  room. 
She  invited  him  eagerly  to  enter  when  he 
tapped. 

"  Pm  nervous,  horribly  nervous,"  she  said. 
"Give  me  some  more  cognac  —  anything." 

"  You'll  have  nothing  more  tonight.  I  shall 
give  you  a  dose  of  valerian." 

She  swallowed  the  noxious  mixture  with  a 
grimace  and  was  asleep  in  a  few  moments. 


XXX 

THE  DOCTOR  was  still  very  busy  but  he 
returned  to  the  hotel  four  times  a  day 
and  gave  her  small  doses  of  whatever  liquor  she 
demanded.  In  a  short  time  he  diluted  them 
with  Napa  Soda  water.  She  was  always  pacing 
the  room  when  he  entered  and  looked  at  him 
like  a  wild  animal  at  bay.  But  she  never  men 
tioned  Masters'  name,  even  when  her  nerves 
whipped  her  suddenly  to  hysterics ;  and  although 
he  sometimes  thought  he  should  go  mad  with 
the  horror  of  it  all,  he  had  faith  in  his  method, 
and  in  her  own  pride,  as  soon  as  the  first  tor 
ments  wore  down.  She  refused  to  walk  out  of 
doors  or  to  wear  anything  but  a  dressing  gown; 
she  took  her  slender  meals  in  her  room. 

But  Madeleine's  sufferings  were  more  mental 
than  physical,  although  she  was  willing  the 
doctor  should  form  the  natural  conclusion. 
She  was  possessed  by  the  fear  that  a  cure  would 
be  forced  upon  her;  she  was  indifferent  even  to 
the  taste  of  liquor,  and  had  merely  preferred 

176 


SLEEPING    FIRES  177 

it  formerly  to  bitter  or  nauseous  tonfcs;  in 
Society  it  had  been  a  necessary  stimulant,  when 
her  strength  began  to  fail,  nothing  more.  After 
her  grim  decision  she  had  forced  large  quan 
tities  down  her  throat  by  sheer  strength  of  will. 
But  she  had  found  the  result  all  that  she  had 
expected  j  she  had  alternated  between  exhilara 
tion  and  oblivion,  and  was  sure  that  it  was 
killing  her  by  inches.  Now,  she  could  indulge 
in  neither  wild  imaginings  nor  forget.  And  if 
he  cured  her  !  —  but  her  will  when  she  chose 
to  exert  it  was  as  strong  as  his,  and  her  resource 
seldom  failed  her. 

One  day  in  her  eternal  pacing  she  paused 
and  stared  at  the  keyhole  of  the  cupboard,  then 
took  a  hairpin  from  her  head  and  tried  to  pick 
the  lock.  It  was  large  and  complicated  and 
she  could  do  nothing  with  it.  She  glanced  at 
the  clock.  The  doctor  would  not  return  for  an 
hour.  She  dressed  hastily  and  went  out  and 
bought  a  lump  of  soft  wax.  She  took  an  im 
press  of  the  keyhole  and  waited  with  what 
patience  she  could  summon  until  her  husband 
had  come  and  gone.  Then  she  went  out  again. 
The  next  day  she  had  the  key  and  that  night 
she  needed  no  valerian. 


178  SLEEPING    FIRES 

Doctor  Talbot  paced  the  parlor  himself  until 
morning.  But  he  did  not  despair.  He  had 
had  not  dissimilar  experiences  before.  He  re 
moved  his  supplies  to  the  cellar  of  the  hotel  and 
carried  a  flask  in  his  pocket  from  which  he 
measured  her  daily  drams. 

The  same  chambermaid  had  been  on  her  floor 
for  years,  and  was  devoted  to  her.  She  sent 
her  out  for  gin  on  one  pretext  or  another, 
although  the  woman  was  not  deceived  for  a 
moment j  she  had  "seen  how  it  was"  long 
since.  But  she  was  middle-aged,  Irish,  and 
sympathetic.  If  the  poor  lady  had  sorrows  let 
her  drown  them. 

Madeleine  was  more  wary  this  time.  She 
told  her  husband  she  was  determined  to  take 
her  potions  only  at  noon  and  at  night  j  in  the 
daytime  she  restrained  herself  after  four  o'clock, 
although  she  took  enough  to  keep  up  her  spirits 
at  the  dinner-table  to  which  she  had  thought  it 
best  to  return. 

The  doctor,  thankful,  no  longer  neglected  his 
practice,  and  left  immediately  after  dinner  for 
the  Club  as  she  went  to  her  room  at  once  and 
locked  the  door.  There  was  no  doubt  of  her 
hostility,  but  that,  too,  was  not  unnatural,  and 
he  was  content  to  wait. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  179 

Society  returned  to  town,  but  she  flatly  re 
fused  to  enter  it.  Nor  would  she  receive  any 
one  who  called.  The  doctor  remonstrated  in 
vain.  He  trusted  her  perfectly  and  a  glass  of 
champagne  at  dinner  would  not  hurt  her.  If 
she  expected  to  become  quite  herself  again  she 
must  have  diversions.  She  was  leading  an  un 
natural  life. 

She  deigned  no  answer. 

He  warned  her  that  tongues  would  wag.  He 
had  met  several  of  the  women  during  the  sum 
mer  and  told  them  her  lungs  were  healed.  . . . 
No  doubt  he  had  been  over-anxious,  mistaken  — 
in  the  beginning.  He  wished  he  had  given 
her  a  tonic  of  iron  arsenic  and  strychnine,  alter 
nated  with  cod-liver  oil.  But  it  was  too  late  for 
regrets,  and  at  least  she  was  well  on  the  road 
to  recovery j  if  she  snubbed  people  now  they 
would  take  their  revenge  when  she  would  be 
eager  for  the  pleasures  of  Society  again. 

Madeleine  laughed  aloud. 

"  But,  my  dear,  this  is  only  a  passing  phase. 
Of  course  your  system  is  depressed  but  that  will 
wear  off,  and  what  you  need  now,  even  more 
than  brandy  twice  a  day,  is  a  mental  tonic.  By 
the  way,  don't  you  think  you  might  leave  it 
off  now  ?  " 


1 80  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  No,  I  do  not.  If  my  system  is  depressed 
Pd  go  to  pieces  altogether  without  it." 

"  I'll  give  you  a  regular  tonic  — " 

"  I'll  not  take  it.  You  are  not  disposed  to 
use  force,  I  imagine." 

"  No,  I  cannot  do  that.  But  you'll  accept 
these  invitations  —  some  of  them  ?  '  He  indi 
cated  a  pile  of  square  envelopes  on  the  table. 
He  had  opened  them  but  she  had  not  given 
them  a  passing  glance. 

"  Society  would  have  the  effect  of  arresting 
my  '  cure.'  I  hate  it.  If  you  force  me  to  go 
out  I'll  drink  too  much  and  disgrace  you." 

"  But  what  shall  I  tell  them  ?  "  he  asked  in 
despair.  "  I  see  some  of  them  every  day  and 
they'll  quiz  my  head  off.  They  can't  suspect 
the  truth,  of  course,  but  —  but  --  "  he  paused 
and  his  ruddy  face  turned  a  deep  brick  red. 
He  had  never  mentioned  Masters'  name  to  her 
since  he  announced  his  impending  departure, 
but  he  was  desperate.  "  They'll  think  you're 
pining,  that's  what!  That  you  won't  go  out  be 
cause  you  take  no  interest  in  any  one  but 
Langdon  Masters." 

She  was  standing  by  the  window  with  her 
back  to  him,  looking  down  into  the  street.  She 
turned  and  met  his  eyes  squarely. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  181 

"  That  would  be  quite  true,"  she  said. 

"  You  do  not  mean  that  !  ' 

"  I  have  never  forgotten  him  for  a  moment 
and  I  never  shall  as  long  as  I  live."  She  averted 
her  eyes  from  his  pallid  face  but  went  on  re 
morselessly.  "If  you  had  been  merciful  you 
would  have  let  me  die  when  I  was  so  ill.  But 
you  showed  me  another  way,  and  now  you 
would  take  even  that  from  me." 

"  Do  —  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  tried 
to  drink  yourself  to  death  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  mean  that.  And  if  you  really  cared 
for  me  you  would  let  me  do  it  now." 

"  That  I'll  never  do,"  he  cried  violently. 
"  I'll  cure  you  and  you'll  get  over  this  damned 
nonsense  in  time." 

"  I  never  shall  get  over  it.  Don't  delude 
yourself  for  an  instant." 

He  stared  at  her  with  a  sickening  sense  of 
impotence  —  and  despair.  He  thought  she  had 
never  looked  more  beautiful.  She  wore  a  grace 
ful  wrapper  of  pale  blue  camel's  hair  and  her 
long  hair  in  two  pendent  braids.  She  was  very 
white  and  she  looked  as  cold  and  remote  as  the 
moon. 

"Madeleine!        Madeleine!        You     have 


1 82  SLEEPING    FIRES 

changed  so  completely  !  I  cannot  believe  that 
you'll  never  be  the  same  Madeleine  again. 
Why  —  you  —  you  look  as  if  you  were  not 
there  at  all  !  " 

"  Only  my  shell  is  here.  The  real  me  is 
with  him." 

"  Curse  the  man  !  Curse  him  !  Curse  him  ! 
I  wish  Pd  blown  out  his  brains!"  He  threw 
his  arms  about  wildly  and  she  wondered  if  he 
would  strike  her.  But  he  threw  himself  into  a 
chair  and  burst  into  heavy  sobbing.  Madeleine 
ran  out  of  the  room. 


XXXI 

I  TELL  you  it's  true.  You  needn't  pooh- 
pooh  at  me,  Antoinette  McLane.  I  have 
it  on  the  best  authority." 

"  Old  Ben  Travers,  I  suppose  !  " 

"  No,  it's  not  Ben  Travers,  although  he'll  find 
it  out  soon  enough.  Her  chambermaid  knows 
my  cook.  She  is  devoted  to  Madeleine,  evi 
dently,  and  cried  after  she  had  told  it,  but  — 
well,  I  suppose  it  was  too  good  for  any  mere 
female  to  keep." 

"  Servants'  gossip,"  replied  Mrs.  McLane 
witheringly.  "  I  should  think  it  would  be  be 
neath  your  self-respect  to  listen  to  it.  Fancy 
gossiping  with  one's  cook." 

"  I  didn't,"  replied  Mrs.  Abbott  with  dignity. 
"  She  told  my  maid,  and  if  we  didn't  listen 
to  our  maids'  gossip  how  much  would  we  really 
know  about  what  goes  on  in  this  town  ?  " 

Mrs.  McLane,  Mrs.  Ballinger,  Guadalupe 
Hathaway  and  Sally  Abbott  were  sitting  in  Mrs. 
Abbott's  large  and  hideous  front  parlor  after 

183 


1 84  SLEEPING    FIRES 

luncheon,  and  she  had  tormented  them  through 
out  the  meal  with  a  promise  of  "  something 
that  would  make  their  hair  stand  on  end." 

She  had  succeeded  beyond  her  happy  ex 
pectations.  Mrs.  McLane's  eyes  were  flashing. 
Mrs.  Ballinger  looked  like  a  proud  silver  poplar 
that  had  been  seared  by  lightning.  Sally  burst 
into  tears,  and  Miss  Hathaway's  large  cold 
Spanish  blue  eyes  saw  visions  of  Nina  Randolph, 
a  brilliant  creature  of  the  early  sixties,  whom 
she  had  tried  to  save  from  the  same  fate. 

"  Be  sure  the  bell  boys  will  find  it  out,"  con 
tinued  Mrs.  Abbott  unctuously.  "  And  when 
it  gets  to  the  Union  Club  —  well,  no  use  for 
us  to  try  to  hush  it  up." 

"  As  you  are  trying  to  do  now  !  ' 

"  You  needn't  spit  fire  at  me.  I  feel  as 
badly  as  you  do  about  it.  If  Pve  told  just  you 
four  it's  only  to  talk  over  what  can  be  done." 

"  I  don't  believe  there's  a  word  of  truth  in 
the  story.  Probably  that  wretched  servant  is 
down  on  her  for  some  reason.  Madeleine 
Talbot  !  Why,  she's  the  proudest  creature  that 
ever  lived." 

"  She  might  have  the  bluest  blood  of  the 
South  in  her  veins,"  conceded  Mrs.  Ballinger 


SLEEPING    FIRES  185 

handsomely.  "  I  pride  myself  on  my  imagina 
tion  but  I  simply  cannot  see  her  in  such  a  con 
dition." 

"  If  it's  true,  it's  Masters,  of  course,"  said 
Miss  Hathaway.  "  The  only  reason  I  didn't 
fall  in  love  with  him  was  because  it  was  no  use. 
But  he's  the  sort  of  man  —  there  are  not  many 
of  them !  —  who  would  make  a  woman  love 
him  to  desperation  if  he  loved  her  himself. 
And  she'd  never  forget  him." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Mrs.  Ballinger 
coldly.  "  I  never  believed  that  Madeleine  was 
in  love  with  Langdon  Masters.  A  good 
woman  loves  only  her  husband." 

"  Oh,  mamma  !  "  wailed  Sally.  "  Made 
leine  is  young,  and  the  doctor's  a  dear  but  he 
wasn't  the  sort  of  a  man  for  her  at  all.  He 
just  attracted  her  when  she  was  a  girl  because 
he  was  so  different  from  the  men  she  knew. 
But  Langdon  is  exactly  suited  to  her.  I  guessed 
it  before  any  of  you  did.  It  worried  me  dread 
fully,  but  I  sympathized  —  I  always  admired 
Langdon  — -  if  he'd  looked  at  me  before  I  fell 
in  love  with  Hal  I  believe  I'd  have  married 
him  —  but  I  wish,  oh,  how  I  wish,  Madeleine 
could  get  a  divorce." 


1 86  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  Sally  Ballinger  !  "  Her  mother's  voice 
quavered.  "  This  terrible  California  !  If  you 
had  been  brought  up  in  Virginia  —  " 

"  But  I  wasn't.     And  I  mean  what  I  say. 
And  —  and  —  it's  true  about   Madeleine.      I 
went  there  the  other  day  and  she  saw  me  — 
and  —  oh,  I  never  meant  to  tell  it  —  it's  too 
terrible  !  " 

"So,"  said  Mrs.  McLane.  "So,"  She 
added  thoughtfully  after  a  moment.  "  It's  a 
curious  coincidence.  Langdon  Masters  is  drink 
ing  himself  to  death  in  New  York.  Jack  Bel- 
mont  returned  the  other  day  —  he  told  Mr. 
McLane." 

She  had  been  interrupted  several  times, 
Madeleine  for  the  moment  forgotten. 

"  Why  didn't  Alexander  Groome  know  ? 
He's  his  cousin  and  bad  enough  himself,  heaven 
knows." 

"Oh,  poor  Langdon!  Poor  Langdon!  I 
knew  he  could  love  a  woman  like  that  —  " 

"He  has  remarkable  powers  of  concentra 
tion!" 

"  I'll  wager  Mr.  Abbott  heard  it  himself  at 

the  Club,  the  wretch!     He'll  hear  from  me!" 

"  Oh,  it's  too  awful,"  wailed  Sally  again. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  187 

"  What  an  end  to  a  romance.  It  was  quite 
perfect  before  —  in  a  way.  And  now  instead 
of  pitying  poor  Madeleine  and  wishing  we  were 
her  — she  —  which  is  it? --we'll  all  be  de 
spising  her!" 

"  It's  loathsome,"  said  Mrs.  Ballinger.  "  I 
wish  I  had  not  heard  it.  I  prefer  to  believe 
that  such  things  do  not  exist." 

"  Good  heavens,  mamma,  I've  heard  that 
gentlemen  in  the  good  old  South  were  as  drunk 
as  lords,  oftener  than  not." 

"  As  lords,  yes.  Langdon  Masters  is  in  no 
position  to  emulate  his  ancestors.  And  Made 
leine!  No  one  ever  heard  of  a  lady  in  the 
South  taking  to  drink  from  disappointed  love 
or  anything  else.  When  life  was  too  hard  for 
them  they  went  into  a  beautiful  decline  and 
died  in  the  odor  of  sanctity." 

1  They  get  terribly  skinny  and  yellow  in  the 
last  stages  —  " 
"  Sally  !  " 

'  Well,  I  don't  care  anything  about  Langdon 
Masters,"  announced  Mrs.  Abbott.  "He's 
left  here  anyway,  and  like  as  not  we'll  never 
see  him  again.  This  is  what  I  want  to  know: 
Can  anything  be  done  about  Madeleine  Talbot  ? 


1 88  SLEEPING    FIRES 

Of  course  Howard  poured  whiskey  down  her 
throat  until  it  got  the  best  of  her.  But  he 
should  know  how  to  cure  her.  That  is  if  he 
knows  the  worst." 

"  You  may  be  sure  he  knows  the  worst,"  said 
Mrs.  McLane.  "  How  could  he  help  it  ?  " 

"  That  maid  said  she  bought  it  on  the  sly  all 
the  time.  Don't  you  suppose  he'd  put  a  stop 
to  that  if  he  knew  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  will  find  it  out.  And  I'll  not  be 
the  one  to  tell  him.  One  ordeal  of  that  sort 
is  enough  for  a  lifetime." 

"  Why  not  give  her  a  talking  to  ?  She  has 
always  seemed  to  defer  more  to  you  than  to 
any  one  else."  Mrs.  Abbott  made  the  admission 
grudgingly. 

"  I  am  willing  to  try,  if  she  will  see  me. 
But  —  if  she  knows  what  has  happened  to 
Masters  —  and  ten  to  one  she  does  —  he  may 
have  written  to  her  —  I  don't  believe  it 
will  do  any  good.  Alas !  Why  does  youth  take 
life  so  tragically?  When  she  is  as  old  as  I  am 
she  will  know  that  no  man  is  worth  the  loss  of 
a  night's  sleep." 

"  Yes,  but  Madeleine  isn't  old!  "  cried  Sally. 
"  She's  young  —  young  —  and  she  .can't  live 


SLEEPING    FIRES  189 

without  him.  I  don't  know  whether  she's 
weaker  or  stronger  than  Sibyl,  but  at  any  rate 
Sibyl  is  happy  —  " 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Can't  you  see  it  in  her  face  at  the  theatre? 
Oh,  I  don't  care!  I'll  tell  it!  Madeleine 
asked  me  to  lunch  to  meet  her  one  day  last 
winter  and  I  went.  We  had  a  splendid  time. 
After  lunch  we  sat  on  the  rug  before  the  fire 
and  popped  corn.  Oh,  you  needn't  all  glare 
at  me  as  if  I'd  committed  a  crime.  It's  hard 
to  be  hard  when  you're  young,  and  Sibyl 
was  my  other  intimate  friend.  But  that's  not 
the  question  at  present.  I've  had  an  idea.  Per 
haps  I  could  persuade  Madeleine  to  stay  with 
me.  Now  that  I  know,  perhaps  she  won't  mind 
so  much.  I  only  got  in  by  accident.  There's 
a  new  man  at  the  desk  and  he  let  me  go  up  —  " 

"  Well,  what  is  your  idea  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
McLane  impatiently.  "  What  could  you  do 
with  her  if  she  did  visit  you  —  which  she  prob 
ably  will  not." 

"  I  might  be  able  to  cure  her.  She  wouldn't 
see  anything  to  drink.  Hal  has  sworn  off. 
There's  not  a  drop  in  sight,  and  not  only  on  his 
account  but  because  the  last  butler  got  drunk 


190  SLEEPING    FIRES 

and  fell  in  the  lake.  We'll  not  have  any  com 
pany  while  she's  there.  And  I'd  lock  her  in  at 
night  and  never  leave  her  alone  in  the  daytime." 

"  That  is  not  a  bad  idea  at  all,"  said  Mrs. 
McLane  emphatically.  "  But  don't  waste  your 
time  trying  to  persuade  her.  Go  to  Howard. 
Tell  him  the  truth.  He  will  give  her  a  dose 
of  valerian  and  take  her  over  in  a  hack  at  night." 

"  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  Sally  coming  into 
contact  with  such  a  dreadful  side  of  life  —  " 

"  But  if  I  can  save  her,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Maria  is  Alexander  Groome's  wife  and  she 
has  no  influence  over  him." 

"  Oh,  Maria  !  If  he  were  my  husband  I'd 
lead  him  such  a  dance  that  he'd  behave  himself 
in  self-defence.  Maria  is  too  much  like 
you  —  " 

"Sally  Ballinger!" 

"  I  only  meant  that  you  are  an  angel,  mamma 
dear.  And  of  course  you  are  so  enchanting  and 
beautiful  papa  has  always  toed  the  mark.  But 
Maria  is  good  without  being  any  too  fasci 
nating  —  " 

"  Sally  is  right,"  interrupted  Mrs.  McLane. 
"  I  am  not  sure  that  her  plan  will  succeed.  But 
no  one  has  thought  of  a  better.  If  Madeleine 


SLEEPING    FIRES  191 

has  a  deeper  necessity  for  stupefying  her  brain 
than  shattered  nerves,  I  doubt  if  any  one  could 
save  her.  But  at  least  Sally  can  try.  We'd 
be  brutes  if  we  left  her  to  drown  without  throw 
ing  her  a  plank." 

"  Just  what  I  said,"  remarked  Mrs.  Abbott 
complacently.  "  Was  I  not  justified  in  telling 
you  ?  And  when  you  get  her  over  there,  Sally, 
and  her  mind  is  quite  clear,  warn  her  that 
while  she  may  do  what  she  chooses  in  private, 
if  she  elects  to  die  that  way,  just  let  her  once  be 
seen  in  public  in  a  state  unbecoming  a  lady,  and 
that  is  the  end  of  her  as  far  as  we  are  concerned." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  McLane  with  a  sigh.  "  We 
should  have  no  choice.  Poor  Madeleine  !  " 


XXXII 

MADELEINE  awoke  from  a  heavy 
drugged  sleep  and  reached  out  her  hand 
automatically  for  the  drawer  of  her  commode. 
It  fumbled  in  the  air  for  a  moment  and  then 
she  raised  herself  on  her  elbow.  She  glanced 
about  the  room.  It  was  not  her  own. 

She  sprang  out  of  bed.  A  key  turned  and 
Sally  Abbott  entered. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  cried  Madeleine. 
"  What  are  you  doing  here,  Sally  ?  Why  did 
Howard  move  me  into  another  room  ?  " 

"  He  didn't.  You  are  over  at  my  house. 
He  thought  the  country  would  be  good  for 
you  for  a  while  and  I  was  simply  dying  to  have 
you  —  " 

"  Where  are  my  clothes  ?  I  am  going  back 
to  the  city  at  once." 

"  Now,  Madeleine,  dear."  Sally  put  her  arm 
round  the  tall  form  which  was  as  rigid  as  steel 
in  her  embrace.  But  she  was  a  valiant  little 
person  and  strong  with  health  and  much  life  in 

192 


SLEEPING    FIRES  193 

the  open.  "  You  are  going  to  stay  with  me 
until  —  until  —  you  are  better." 

"  I'll  not.  I  must  get  back.  At  once  !  You 
don't  understand  —  " 

"  Yes,  I  do.  And  I've  something  for  you." 
She  took  a  flask  from  the  capacious  pocket  of  her 
black  silk  apron  and  poured  brandy  into  a  glass. 

Madeleine  drank  it,  then  sank  heavily  into  a 
chair. 

"  That  is  more  than  he  has  been  giving  me," 
she  said  suspiciously.  "  How  often  did  he  tell 
you  to  give  me  that  ?  " 

"  Four  times  a  day." 

"  He's  found  out !     He's  found  out ! " 

"  That  chambermaid  blabbed,  and  of  course 
he  heard  it.  I  —  I  —  saw  him  just  after.  He 
felt  so  terribly,  Madeleine  dear  !  Your  heart 
would  have  ached  for  him.  And  when  I  asked 
him  to  let  you  come  over  here  he  seemed  to 
brighten  up,  and  said  it  was  the  best  thing  to 
do." 

Madeleine  burst  into  tears,  the  first  she  had 
shed  in  many  months.  "  Poor  Howard  !  Poor 
Howard  !  But  it  will  do  no  good." 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  will.  Now,  let  me  help  you 
dress.  Or  would  you  rather  stay  in  bed  to 
day  ?  " 


194  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  I'll  dress.  And  I'm  not  going  to  stay, 
Sally.  I  give  you  fair  warning." 

"  Oh,  but  you  are.  I've  locked  up  your  out 
door  things  —  and  my  own!  I'll  only  let  you 
have  them  when  we  go  out  together." 

"  So  you  have  turned  yourself  into  my 
jailer?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have.  And  don't  try  to  look  like  an 
outraged  empress  until  your  stays  are  covered 
up.  Put  on  your  dress  and  we'll  have  a  game 
of  battledore  and  shuttlecock  in  the  hall.  It's 
raining.  Then  we'll  have  some  music  this 
afternoon.  My  alto  used  to  go  beautifully 
with  your  soprano,  and  I'll  get  out  our  duets. 
I  haven't  forgotten  one  of  the  accompani 
ments  —  What  are  you  doing  ?  " 

Madeleine  was  undressing  rapidly.  "  I 
haven't  had  my  bath.  I  seldom  forget  that, 
even  —  where  is  the  bath  room  ?  I  forget." 

"  Across  the  hall.  And  leave  your  clothes 
here.  Although  you'd  break  your  bones  if  you 
tried  to  jump  out  of  the  window.  When  you've 
finished  I'll  have  a  cup  of  strong  coffee  ready 
for  you.  Run  along." 


XXXIII 

LAKE  MERRITT,  a  small  sheet  of  water 
near  the  little  town  of  Oakland,  was  sur 
rounded  by  handsome  houses  whose  lawns 
sloped  down  to  its  rim.  Most  them  were  closed 
in  summer,  but  a  few  of  the  owners,  like  the 
Harold  Abbotts,  lived  there  the  year  round.  At 
all  times,  however,  the  lawns  and  gardens  were 
carefully  tended,  for  this  was  one  of  Fashion's 
chosen  spots,  and  there  must  be  no  criticism 
from  outsiders  in  Oakland.  The  statues  on  the 
lawns  were  rubbed  down  after  the  heavy  rains 
and  dusted  as  carefully  in  summer.  There 
were  grape-vine  arbors  and  wild  rose  hedges, 
and  the  wide  verandas  were  embowered.  In 
summer  there  were  many  rowboats  on  the  lake, 
and  they  lingered  more  often  in  the  deep  shade 
of  the  weeping  willows  fringing  the  banks. 
The  only  blot  on  the  aristocratic  landscape  was 
a  low  brown  restaurant  kept  by  a  Frenchman, 
known  as  "  Old  Blazes."  It  was  a  resort  for 
gay  parties  that  were  quite  respectable  and  for 

'95 


196  SLEEPING    FIRES 

others  that  were  not.  Behind  the  public  rooms 
was  a  row  of  cubicles  patronized  by  men  when 
on  a  quiet  spree  (women,  too,  it  was  whispered). 
There  were  no  cabinet  particuliers.  Old  Blazes 
had  his  own  ideas  of  propriety ;  and  no  mind  to 
be  ousted  from  Lake  Merritt. 

Madeleine  had  found  Sally  Abbott's  society 
far  more  endurable,  when  she  paid  her  round  of 
visits  after  Masters'  departure,  than  that  of  the 
older  women  with  their  watchful  or  anxious 
eyes,  and  she  had  no  suspicion  that  Sally  had 
guessed  her  secret  long  since.  If  love  had  been 
her  only  affliction  she  would  have  been  grateful 
for  her  society  and  amusing  chatter,  for  they 
had  much  in  common.  But  in  the  circumstances 
it  was  unthinkable.  Not  only  was  she  terrified 
once  more  by  the  prospect  of  being  "cured," 
but  her  shattered  nerves  demanded  far  more 
stimulation  and  tranquilizing  than  these  small 
daily  doses  of  brandy  afforded. 

Her  will  was  in  no  way  affected.  She  con 
trolled  even  her  nerves  in  Sally's  presence, 
escaped  from  it  twice  a  day  under  pretext  of 
taking  a  nap,  and  went  upstairs  immediately 
after  dinner.  She  had  a  large  room  at  the 
back  of  the  house  where  she  could  pace  up  and 
down  unheard. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  197 

She  pretended  to  be  amiable  and  resigned, 
played  battledoor  and  shuttlecock  in  the  hall, 
or  on  the  lawn  when  the  weather  permitted, 
sang  in  the  evenings  with  Sally  and  Harold,  and 
affected  not  to  notice  that  she  was  locked  in  at 
night.  She  refused  to  drive,  as  she  would  have 
found  sitting  for  any  length  of  time  unendur 
able,  but  she  was  glad  to  take  long  walks  even 
in  the  rain  —  and  was  piloted  away  from  the 
town  and  the  railroad. 

Sally  wrote  jubilant  letters  to  Dr.  Talbot, 
who  thought  it  best  to  stay  away.  The  servants 
were  told  that  Mrs.  Talbot  was  recovering  from 
an  illness  and  suspected  nothing. 

It  lasted  two  weeks.  Sally  had  inexorably 
diminished  the  doses  after  the  seventh  day. 
Madeleine's  mind,  tormented  by  her  nerves, 
never  ceased  for  a  moment  revolving  plans  for 
escape. 

As  they  returned  from  a  walk  one  afternoon 
they  met  callers  at  the  door  and  it  was  impos 
sible  to  deny  them  admittance.  Madeleine  ex 
cused  herself  and  went  up  to  her  room  wearing 
her  coat  and  hat  instead  of  handing  them  to 
Sally  as  usual.  She  put  them  in  her  wardrobe 
and  locked  the  door  and  hid  the  key.  At  dinner 


198  SLEEPING    FIRES 

it  was  apparent,  however,  that  Sally  had  not 
noticed  the  omission  of  this  detail  in  her  daily 
espionage,  for  the  visitors  had  told  her  much 
interesting  gossip  and  she  was  interested  in  im 
parting  it.  Moreover,  her  mind  was  almost 
at  rest  regarding  her  captive. 

Madeleine,  some  time  since,  had  found  that 
the  key  of  another  door  unlocked  her  own,  and 
secreted  it.  She  had  no  money,  but  she  had 
worn  a  heavy  gold  bracelet  when  her  husband 
and  Sally  dressed  her  and  they  had  pinned  her 
collar  with  a  pearl  brooch.  Sally  followed  her 
to  her  room  after  she  had  had  time  to  undress 
and  gave  her  the  nightly  draught,  but  did  not 
linger;  she  had  no  mind  that  her  husband 
should  feel  neglected  and  resent  this  interrup 
tion  of  an  extended  honeymoon. 

Madeleine  waited  until  the  house  was  quiet. 
Then  she  went  down  the  heavily  carpeted  stairs 
and  let  herself  out  by  one  of  the  long  French 
windows.  She  had  made  her  plans  and  walked 
swiftly  to  the  restaurant.  She  knew  "  Old 
Blazes,"  for  she  had  dined  at  his  famous  hos 
telry  more  than  once  with  her  husband  or 
friends. 

There  was  a  party  in  the  private  restaurant. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  199 

She  walked  directly  to  one  of  the  cubicles  and 
rang  for  a  waiter  and  told  him  to  send  M'sieu 
to  her  at  once. 

"  Old  Blazes  "  came  immediately,  and  if  she 
expected  him  to  look  astonished  she  was  agree 
ably  disappointed.  Nothing  astonished  him. 

She  held  out  her  bracelet  and  brooch.  "  I 
want  you  to  lend  me  some  money  on  these," 
she  said.  "  My  husband  will  redeem  them." 

"  Very  well,  madame."  (He  was  far  too  dis 
creet  to  recognize  her.)  "  I  will  bring  you  the 
money  at  once." 

"  And  I  wish  to  buy  a  quart  of  Bourbon, 
which  I  shall  take  with  me.  You  may  also 
bring  me  a  glass." 

"  Very  well,  madame." 

He  left  the  room  and  returned  in  a  moment 
with  a  bottle  of  Bourbon,  from  which  he  had 
drawn  the  cork,  a  glass,  and  a  bottle  of  Napa 
Soda.  He  also  handed  her  two  gold  pieces. 
He  had  been  a  generous  friend  to  many  patrons 
and  had  reaped  his  reward. 

[<  I  should  advise  you  to  leave  by  the  back 
entrance,"  he  said.  "Shall  I  have  a  hack 
there  —  in  —  " 

"  Send  for  it  at  once  and  I  will  take  it  when 


200  SLEEPING    FIRES 

I  am  ready.     Tell  the  man  to  drive  on  to  the 

boat  and  to  the  Occidental  Hotel." 

"  Yes,  Madame.     Good-night,  Madame." 
He  closed  the  door.      Madeleine  left  the 

restaurant  three  quarters  of  an  hour  later. 


XXXIV 

OLONEL  BELMONT,  Alexander 
Groome,  Amos  Lawton,  Ogden  Bascom 
and  several  other  worthy  citizens,  were  return 
ing  from  a  pleasant  supper  at  Blazes'.  They  sat 
for  a  time  in  the  saloon  of  the  ferry  boat  El 
Capitan  with  the  birds  of  gorgeous  plumage 
they  had  royally  entertained  and  then  went  out 
side  to  take  the  air j  the  ladies  preferring  to  nap. 

"  Hello  !  What's  that?  "  exclaimed  Groome. 
"  Something's  up.  Let's  investigate." 

At  the  end  of  the  rear  deck  was  a  group  of 
men  and  one  or  two  women.  They  were 
crowding  one  another  and  those  on  the  edge 
stood  on  tiptoe.  Belmont  was  very  tall  and 
he  could  see  over  their  heads  without  difficulty. 

"  It's  a  woman,"  he  announced  to  his  friends. 
"  Drunk  —  or  in  a  dead  faint  —  " 

A  man  laughed  coarsely.  "  Drunk  as  they 
make  'em.  No  faint  about  that  —  Hi  !  — 
Quit  yer  shovin'  —  " 

Belmont  scattered  the  crowd  as  if  they  had 


202  SLEEPING    FIRES 

been  children  and  picked  up  the  woman  in  his 
arms. 

"  My  God  !  "  he  cried  to  his  staring  com 
panions  j  and  as  he  faced  them  he  looked  about 
to  faint  himself.  "  Do  you  see  who  it  is  ? 
Where  can  we  hide  her  ?  ': 

"  Whe-e-ew  !  "  whistled  Groome,  and  for 
the  moment  was  thankful  for  his  Maria. 
"  What  the  —  " 

"  I've  got  my  hack  on  the  deck  below,"  said 
one  of  the  gaping  crowd.  "  She  came  in  it. 
Better  take  her  right  down,  sir.  I  never  seen 
her  before  but  I  seen  she  was  a  lady  and  tried 
to  prevent  her  —  " 

"  Lead  the  way.  .  .  .  I'll  take  her  home," 
he  said  to  the  others.  "  And  let's  keep  this  dark 
if  we  can." 

When  the  hack  reached  the  Occidental  Hotel 
he  gave  the  driver  a  twenty-dollar  gold  piece 
and  the  man  readily  promised  to  "  keep  his 
mouth  shut."  He  told  the  night  clerk  that 
Mrs.  Talbot  had  sprained  her  ankle  and  fainted, 
and  demanded  a  pass  key  if  the  doctor  were 
out.  A  bell  boy  opened  the  parlor  door  of  the 
Talbot  suite  and  Colonel  Belmont  took  off 
Madeleine's  hat,  placed  her  on  the  bed,  and 
then  went  in  search  of  the  doctor. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  203 

When  Madeleine  opened  her  eyes  her  hus 
band  was  sitting  beside  her.  He  poured  some 
aromatic  spirits  of  ammonia  into  a  glass  of  water 
and  she  drank  it  indifferently. 

"  How  did  I  get  here?"  she  asked. 

He  told  her  in  the  bitterest  words  he  had 
ever  used. 

"  You  are  utterly  disgraced.  Some  of  those 
men  may  hold  their  tongues  but  others  will  not. 
By  this  time  it  is  probably  all  over  the  Union 
Club.  You  are  an  outcast  from  this  time 
forth." 

"  That  means  nothing  to  me.  And  I  warned 
you." 

"  It  is  nothing  to  you  that  you  have  disgraced 
me  also,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  No.  You  made  an  outcast  of  Langdon 
Masters.  You  wrecked  his  life  and  will  be  the 
cause  of  his  early  death.  Meanwhile  he  is  in 
the  gutter.  I  am  glad  that  I  am  publicly  be 
side  him.  .  .  .  Still,  I  would  have  spared  you 
if  I  could.  You  are  a  good  man  according  to 
your  lights.  If  you  had  heeded  my  warning  and 
made  no  foolish  attempts  to  cure  me,  no  one 
would  have  been  the  wiser." 

"  Several  of  the  women  knew  it.     And  if  you 


204  SLEEPING    FIRES 

had  taken  advantage  of  the  opportunity  given 
you  by  Sally  I  think  they  would  have  guarded 
your  secret.  You  have  publicly  disgraced  them 
as  well  as  yourself  and  your  husband." 

"  Well,  what  shall  you  do  ?  Throw  me  into 
the  street?  I  wish  that  you  would." 

"  No,  I  shall  try  to  cure  you  again." 

"  And  have  a  wife  that  your  friends  will  cut 
dead  ?  You'd  be  far  better  off  if  I  were  dead." 

"  Perhaps.  But  I  shall  do  my  duty.  And  if 
I  can  cure  you  I'll  sell  my  practice,  and  go  else 
where.  To  South  America,  perhaps." 

"  Scandal  travels.  You  would  never  get 
away  from  it.  Better  stay  here  with  your 
friends,  who  will  not  visit  my  sins  on  your  head. 
They  will  never  desert  you.  And  you  cannot 
cure  me.  Did  you  ever  know  any  one  to  be 
cured  against  his  will  ?  " 

"  I  shall  lock  you  in  these  rooms  and  you 
can't  drink  what  you  haven't  got." 

"  I've  circumvented  you  before  and  I  shall 
again." 

"  Then,"  he  cried  violently,  "  I'll  put  you  in 
the  Home  for  Inebriates  !  " 

She  laughed  mockingly.  "  You'll  never  do 
anything  of  the  sort.  And  I  shouldn't  care  if 
you  did.  I  should  escape." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  205 

"  Have  you  no  pride  left  ?  ' 

"  It  is  as  dead  as  everything  else  but  this 
miserable  shell.  As  dead  as  all  that  was  great 
in  Langdon  Masters.  Won't  you  let  me  die 
in  my  own  way  r  ' 

"  I  will  not." 

She  sighed  and  moved  her  head  restlessly  on 
the  pillow.  "  You  mean  to  do  what  is  right, 
I  suppose.  But  you  are  cruel,  cruel.  You 
condemn  me  to  live  in  torment." 

"  I  shall  give  you  more  for  a  while  than  I 
did  before.  I  was  too  abrupt.  I  wouldn't 
face  the  whole  truth,  I  suppose." 

"  I'll  kill  myself." 

"  I  have  no  fear  of  that.  You  are  as  super 
stitious  as  all  religious  women  —  although  much 
good  your  religion  seems  to  do  you.  And  you 
have  the  same  twisted  logic  as  all  women,  clever 
as  you  are.  You  would  drink  yourself  to  death 
if  I  would  let  you,  but  you'd  never  commit  the 
overt  act.  If  you  are  relying  on  your  jewels 
to  bribe  the  servants  with,  you  will  not  find 
them.  They  are  in  the  safe  at  the  Club.  And 
I  shall  discontinue  your  allowance." 

"  Very  well.  Please  go.  I  should  like  to 
take  my  bath." 


206  SLEEPING    FIRES 

He  was  obliged  to  attend  an  important  con 
sultation  an  hour  later,  but  he  did  not  lock  the 
doors  as  he  had  threatened.  He  wanted  as  little 
scandal  in  the  hotel  as  possible,  and  he  believed 
her  to  be  helpless  without  money.  The  bar 
keeper  was  an  old  friend  of  his,  and  when  he 
instructed  him  to  honor  no  orders  from  his  suite 
he  knew  that  the  man's  promise  could  be  relied 
on.  The  chambermaid  was  dismissed. 

As  soon  as  she  was  alone  Madeleine  wrote  to 
her  father  and  asked  him  for  a  thousand  dollars. 
It  was  the  first  time  she  had  asked  him  for 
money  since  her  marriage  j  and  he  sent  it  to  her 
with  a  long  kindly  letter,  warning  her  against 
extravagance.  She  had  given  no  reason  for  her 
request,  but  he  inferred  that  she  had  been 
running  up  bills  and  was  afraid  to  tell  her  hus 
band.  Was  she  ill,  that  she  wrote  so  seldom? 
He  understood  that  she  had  quite  recovered. 
But  she  must  remember  that  he  and  her  mother 
were  old  people. 

Several  days  after  her  return  she  had  sold 
four  new  gowns,  recently  arrived  from  New 
York  and  unworn,  to  Sibyl  Forbes. 


XXXV 

RALPH  HOLT  ran  down  the  steps  of  a 
famous  night  restaurant  in  north  Mont 
gomery  Street  on  the  edge  of  Chinatown.  It 
was  a  disreputable  place  but  it  had  a  certain 
air  of  brilliancy,  although  below  the  sidewalk, 
and  was  favored  by  men  that  worked  late  on 
newspapers,  not  only  for  its  excellent  cuisine  but 
because  there  was  likely  to  be  some  garish  bit 
of  drama  to  refresh  the  jaded  mind. 

The  large  room  was  handsomely  furnished 
with  mahogany  and  lit  by  three  large  crystal 
chandeliers  and  many  side  brackets.  It  was 
about  two  thirds  full.  A  band  was  playing  and 
on  a  platform  a  woman  in  a  Spanish  costume  of 
sorts  was  dancing  the  can-can,  to  the  noisy 
appreciation  of  the  male  guests.  Along  one 
side  of  the  room  was  a  bar  with  a  large  painting 
above  it  of  baching  nymphs.  The  waiters  were 
Chinese. 

Holt  found  an  unoccupied  table  and  ordered 
an  oyster  stew,  then  glanced  about  him  for 

207 


208  SLEEPING    FIRES 

6 

possible  centres  of  interest.  There  were  many 
women  present,  gaudily  attired,  but  they  were 
not  the  elite  of  the  half-world.  Neither  did 
the  gentlemen  who  made  life  gay  and  care-free 
for  the  haughty  ladies  of  the  lower  ten  thou 
sand  patronize  anything  so  blatant.  They  were 
far  too  high-toned  themselves.  Their  stand 
ards  were  elevated,  all  things  considered. 

But  the  women  of  commerce,  of  whatever 
status,  had  no  interest  for  young  Holt  save  as 
possible  heroines  of  living  drama.  He  had  a 
lively  news  sense,  and  although  an  editor,  and 
of  a  highly  respectable  sheet  at  that,  he  could 
become  as  keen  on  the  track  of  a  "  story  "  as  if 
he  were  still  a  reporter. 

But  although  the  night  birds  were  eating 
little  and  drinking  a  great  deal,  at  this  hour  of 
two  in  the  morning,  the  only  excitement  was  the 
marvellous  high  kicking  of  the  black-eyed 
scantily  clad  young  woman  on  the  stage  and  the 
ribald  applause  of  her  admirers. 

His  eye  was  arrested  by  the  slender  back  of  a 
woman  who  sat  at  a  table  alone  drinking  cham 
pagne.  She  was  so  simply  dressed  that  she  was 
far  more  noticeable  than  if  she  had  crowned 
herself  with  jewels.  His  lunch  arrived  at  the 


SLEEPING    FIRES  209 

moment,  and  it  was  not  until  he  had  satisfied 
his  usual  morning  appetite  that  he  remembered 
the  woman  and  glanced  her  way  again.  Two 
men  were  sitting  at  her  table,  apparently  en 
deavoring  to  engage  her  in  conversation.  They 
belonged  to  the  type  loosely  known  as  men 
about  town,  of  no  definite  position,  but  with 
money  to  spend  and  a  turn  for  adventure. 

It  was  equally  apparent  that  they  received  no 
response  to  their  amiable  overtures,  for  they 
shrugged  their  shoulders  in  a  moment,  laughed, 
and  went  elsewhere.  More  than  one  woman 
sat  alone  and  these  were  amenable  enough. 
They  came  for  no  other  purpose. 

Holt  paid  his  account  and  strolled  over  to 
the  table.  When  he  took  one  of  the  chairs  he 
was  shocked  but  not  particularly  surprised  to  see 
that  the  woman  was  Mrs.  Talbot.  The  town 
had  rung  with  her  story  all  winter,  and  he  had 
heard  several  months  since  that  she  had  obtained 
money  in  some  way  and  left  her  husband.  The 
report  was  that  Dr.  Talbot  had  traced  her  to 
lodgings  on  the  Plaza,  but  she  had  not  only 
-cd  to  return  to  him  but  to  tell  him  where 
she  had  obtained  her  funds.  She  had  informed 
him  that  she  had  sufficient  money  to  keep  her 


210  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"long  enough,"  but  the  doctor  had  his  mis 
givings  and  directed  his  lawyers  to  pay  the  rent 
of  the  room  and  make  an  arrangement  with  a 
neighboring  restaurant  to  send  in  her  meals. 
Then  he  had  gone  off  on  a  sea  voyage.  Holt 
had  seen  him  driving  his  double  team  the  day 
before,  evidently  on  a  round  of  visits.  The 
sea,  apparently,  had  done  him  little  good. 
Nothing  but  age,  no  doubt,  would  shatter  that 
superb  constitution,  but  he  had  lost  his  ruddy 
color  and  his  face  was  drawn  and  lined. 

Madeleine  had  not  raised  her  eyes.  She 
looked  like  an  effigy  of  well-bred  contempt,  and 
Holt  did  not  wonder  that  she  suffered  briefly 
from  the  attentions  of  predatory  males  in  search 
of  amusement.  Moreover,  she  was  very  thin, 
and  the  sirens  of  that  day  were  voluptuous. 
They  fed  on  cream  and  sweets  until  the  proper 
curves  of  bust  and  hips  were  achieved,  and  those 
that  appeared  in  the  wrong  place  were  held  flat 
with  a  broad  "  wooden  whalebone." 

Holt  was  surprised  to  find  her  so  little 
changed.  It  was  evident  she  was  one  of  those 
drinkers  whom  liquor  made  pallid  not  redj  her 
skin  was  still  smooth  and  her  face  had  not  lost 
its  fine  oval.  But  it  was  only  a  matter  of  time! 

"  Mrs.  Talbot." 


SLEEPING    FIRES 

She  raised  her  eyes  with  a  faint  start  and 
with  an  expression  of  haughty  disdain.  But 
as  she  recognized  him  the  expression  faded  and 
she  regarded  him  sadly. 

"  You  see,"  she  said. 

"  It's  a  crime,  you  know." 

"  Have  you  any  news  of,  him?" 

"  Nothing  new.  It  takes  time  to  kill  a  man 
like  that." 

"I  hope  he  is  more  fortunate  than  I  am! 
It  hasn't  the  effect  that  it  did.  It  keeps  my 
nerves  sodden,  but  my  brain  is  horribly  clear. 
I  no  longer  forget!  And  death  is  a  long  time 
coming.  I  am  tired  always,  but  I  don't  break." 

"  You  shouldn't  come  to  such  places  as  this. 
If  a  man  was  drunk  enough  you  couldn't  dis 
courage  him." 

"  Oh,  I  have  been  spoken  to  in  places  like 
this  and  on  the  street  by  men  in  every  stage  of 
intoxication  and  by  men  who  were  quite  sober. 
But  I  am  able  to  take  care  of  myself.  This 
sort  of  man  —  the  only  sort  I  meet  now  — 
likes  gay  clothes  and  gay  women." 

"  All  the  same  it's  not  safe.  Do  you  only 
go  out  at  night?" 

"  Yes  —  I  —  I  sleep  in  the  daytime." 


212  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"Look  here-- 1  have  a  plan  —  I  won't 
tell  you  what  it  is  now  —  but  meanwhile  I  wish 
you  would  promise  me  that  you  will  not  go  out 
alone  —  to  hells  of  this  sort  —  again.  I  can 
make  an  arrangement  for  a  while  at  the  office  to 
get  off  earlier,  and  I'll  take  you  wherever  you 
want  to  go.  Is  it  a  bargain?" 

"  Very  well,"  she  said  indifferently.  Then 
she  smiled  for  the  first  time,  and  her  face  looked 
sweet  and  almost  girlish  once  more.  "  You  are 
very  kind.  Why  do  you  take  so  much  interest? 
I  am  only  one  more  derelict.  You  must  have 
seen  many." 

"  Well,  I'm  just  built  that  way.  I  took  a 
shine  to  you  the  day  in  that  old  ark  we  ambled 
about  in,  and  then  I'm  as  fond  of  Masters  as 
ever.  D'you  see?  Now,  let's  get  out  of  this. 
I'm  going  to  see  you  home." 

"Home!" 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  the  word  gives  you  a  shock, 
anyway.  It's  where  you  ought  to  be." 

They  left  the  restaurant  and  although,  when 
they  reached  the  sidewalk,  she  took  his  arm,  he 
noticed  that  she  did  not  stagger. 

They  walked  up  the  hill  past  the  north  side 
of  the  Plaza.  The  gambling  houses  of  the 


SLEEPING    FIRES  213 

fifties  and  early  sixties  had  moved  elsewhere, 
and  although  there  were  low-browed  shops  on 
the  east  side  with  flaring  gas  jets  before  them 
even  at  this  hour,  the  other  three  sides,  devoted 
to  offices  and  rooming-houses,  were  respectable. 
There  were  a  few  drunken  sailors  on  the  grass, 
who  had  wandered  too  far  from  Barbary  Coast, 
but  they  were  asleep. 

"  I  never  am  molested  here,"  she  said.  "  I 
don't  think  I  have  ever  met  any  one.  Some 
times  I  have  stood  in  the  shadow  up  there  and 
looked  down  Dupont  Street.  What  a  sight! 
Respectable  Montgomery  Street  is  never  so 
crowded  at  four  in  the  afternoon.  And  the 
women!  Sometimes  I  have  envied  them,  for 
life  has  never  meant  anything  to  them  but  just 
that.  I  never  saw  one  of  those  painted  harlots 
who  looked  as  if  she  had  even  the  remnants  of 
a  mind." 

4  Well,  for  heaven's  sake  keep  your  distance 
from  Dupont  Street.  If  some  drunken  brute 
caught  you  lurking  in  the  shadows  it  might 
appeal  to  his  sense  of  humor  to  toss  you  on  his 
shoulder  and  run  the  length  of  the  street  with 
you  —  possibly  fling  you  through  one  of  the 
windows  of  those  awful  cottages  into  some  har- 


214  SLEEPING    FIRES 

lot's  lap,  if  she  happened  to  be  soliciting  at  the 
moment.  Then  she'd  scratch  your  eyes  out.  .  . . 
You  know  a  lot  about  taking  care  of  yourself," 
he  fumed. 

"  Oh,  I  never  go  there  any  more,"  she  said 
indifferently.  "  I'm  tired  of  it." 

"  I  can  understand  you  leaving  your  husband 
and  wishing  to  live  alone  —  natural  enough!  — 
but  what  I  cannot  understand  is  that  you,  the 
quintessence  of  delicate  breeding,  should  walk 
the  streets  at  night  and  sit  in  dives.  I  wonder 
you  can  stand  being  in  the  room  with  such 
women,  to  say  nothing  of  the  men." 

"  It  has  been  my  hope  to  forget  all  I  repre 
sented  before,  and  danger  means  nothing  to  me. 
Moreover,  there  are  other  reasons.  I  must 
have  exercise  and  air.  I  do  not  care  to  risk 
meeting  any  of  my  old  friends.  I  must  get 
away  from  myself  —  from  solitude  —  during 
some  part  of  the  twenty-four  hours.  And  — 
well  —  the  die  was  cast.  I  was  publicly  dis 
graced.  It  doesn't  matter  what  I  do  now,  and 
when  I  sit  in  that  sort  of  place  I  can  imagine 
that  he  is  in  similar  ones  on  the  other  side  of  the 
continent.  I  told  you  that  I  intended  to  be  no 
better  than  he  —  and  of  course  as  I  am  a  woman 
I  am  worse." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  215 

"  I  suppose  you  would  not  be  half  so  charm 
ing  if  you  were  not  so  completely  feminine. 
But  just  how  many  of  these  night  hells  have 
you  been  to?" 

"  I  can't  tell.  I've  been  to  far  worse  dives 
than  that.  I've  even  been  in  saloons  over  on 
Barbary  Coast.  But  although  I've  been  hurt 
accidentally  several  times  in  scuffles,  and  a  bullet 
nearly  hit  me  once,  I  seem  to  bear  a  charmed 
life.  I  suppose  those  do  that  want  to  die.  And 
although  they  treat  me  with  no  respect  they 
seem  to  regard  me  as  a  harmless  lunatic,  and  — 
and  -  -  I  take  very  little  when  I  am  out.  I  have 
just  enough  pride  left  not  to  care  to  be  taken 
to  the  calaboose  by  a  policeman." 

"Good  God!  How  can  you  even  talk  of 
such  things?  Some  day  you  will  regret  all  this 
horribly." 

"  HI  never  regret  anything  except  that  I  was 
born." 

"  Well,  here  we  are.  HI  not  take  you  up  to 
your  rooms.  Don't  give  them  a  chance  at  that 
sort  of  scandal  whatever  you  do.  It's  lucky  for 
you  that  alcohol  doesn't  send  you  along  a  still 
livelier  road  to  perdition.  It  does  most  women." 

"  I  see  him  every  moment.     Even  if  I  did 


2i 6  SLEEPING    FIRES 

not,  I  do  not  think  —  well,  of  course  if  things 
were  different  I  should  not  be  an  outcast  of  any 
sort.  And  don't  imagine  that  my  refinement 
suffers  in  these  new  contacts.  The  underworld 
interests  me;  I  had  never  even  tried  to  imagine 
it  before.  I  am  permitted  to  remain  aloof  and 
a  spectator.  At  times  it  is  all  as  unreal  as  I  seem 
to  myself,  sitting  there.  But  I  never  feel  so 
close  to  vice  as  to  complete  honesty.  I  have 
often  had  glimpses  of  blacker  sins  in  Society." 
"  Well,  I'm  glad  it's  no  worse.  To  tell  you 
the  truth,  I've  avoided  looking  you  up,  for  I 
didn't  know  —  well,  I  didn't  want  to  see  you 
again  if  you  were  too  different.  Good-night. 
I'll  meet  you  at  this  door  tonight  at  twelve 
sharp." 


XXXVI 

were  doctors'  offices  on  the  first 
A  floor  and  Madeleine  climbed  wearily  the 
two  flights  to  her  room.  Her  muscles  felt  as 
tired  as  her  spirit,  but  she  had  an  odd  fancy 
that  her  skeleton  was  of  fine  flexible  steel  and 
not  only  indestructible  but  tenacious  and  domi 
nant.  It  defied  the  worst  she  could  do  to  organs 
and  soul. 

She  unlocked  her  door  and  lit  the  gas  jet. 
It  was  a  decent  room,  large,  with  the  bed  in  an 
alcove,  and  little  uglier  than  those  grim  double 
parlors  of  her  past  that  she  had  graced  so  often. 
But  her  own  rooms  at  the  hotel  had  been  beauti 
ful  and  luxurious.  They  had  sheltered  and 
pampered  her  body  for  five  years,  and  her 
father's  house  was  a  stately  mansion,  refur 
nished,  with  the  exception  of  old  colonial  pieces, 
after  the  grand  tour  in  Europe.  This  room, 
although  clean  and  sufficiently  equipped,  was 
sordid  and  commonplace,  and  the  bed  was  as 
hard  as  the  horsehair  furniture.  Her  body  as 

217 


2i 8  SLEEPING    FIRES 

well  as  her  aesthetic  sense  had  rebelled  more 
than  once. 

But  she  would  never  return  j  although  she 
guessed  that  the  complete  dissociation  from  her 
old  life  and  its  tragic  reminders  had  more  than 
a  little  to  do  with  the  loathing  for  drink  that 
had  gradually  possessed  her.  She  had  not 
admitted  it  to  Holt,  but  it  required  a  supreme 
effort  of  will  to  take  a  glass  of  hot  whiskey  and 
water  at  night,  the  taste  disguised  as  much  as 
possible  by  lime  juice,  and  another  in  the  day 
time.  She  had  no  desire  to  reform !  And  she 
longed  passionately  to  drown  not  only  her  heart 
but  her  pride.  Now  that  her  system  was  re 
fusing  its  demoralizing  drug  she  felt  that  horror 
of  her  descent  only  possible  to  a  woman  who 
has  inherited  and  practised  all  the  refinements 
of  civilization.  She  longed  to  return  to  those 
first  months  of  degraded  oblivion,  and  could 
not! 

The  champagne  or  brandy  she  was  forced  to 
order  in  the  dives  she  haunted,  in  order  to  secure 
a  table,  merely  gave  her  tone  for  the  moment. 

Her  nerves  were  less  affected  than  her  spirits. 
She  had  hours  of  such  black  depression  that  only 
the  faint  glimmering  star  of  religion  kept  her 


SLEEPING    FIRES  219 

from  suicide.  She  had  longer  seasons  for 
thought  on  Masters  and  his  ruin  —  and  of  the 
hours  they  had  spent  together.  One  night  she 
went  out  to  Dolores  and  sat  in  the  dark  little 
church  until  dawn.  She  had  nothing  of  the 
saint  in  her  and  felt  no  impulse  to  emulate 
Concha  Arguello,  who  had  become  the  first  nun 
in  Calif orniaj  moreover,  Razanov  had  died  an 
honorable  death  through  no  fault  of  his  or  his 
Concha's.  She  and  Langdon  Masters  were  lost 
souls  and  must  expiate  their  sins  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world  that  heaped  on  their  heads  its  pitiless 
scorn. 

Madeleine  threw  off  her  hat  and  dropped  into 
the  armchair,  oblivious  of  its  bumps.  She 
began  to  cry  quietly  with  none  of  her  former 
hysteria.  Holt  was  nearer  to  Masters  than  any 
one  she  knew,  and  she  was  grateful  that  he  had 
not  seen  her  in  her  hours  of  supreme  degrada 
tion.  If  he  ever  saw  Masters  again  he  would 
tell  him  of  her  downfall,  of  course  —  and  the 
reason  for  it  5  but  at  least  he  could  paint  no 
horrible  concrete  picture.  For  the  first  time 
she  felt  thankful  that  she  had  not  sunk  lower; 
been  compelled,  indeed,  against  her  will,  to 
retrace  her  steps.  She  even  regretted  the 


220  SLEEPING    FIRES 

hideous  episode  of  the  ferry  boat,  although  she 
had  welcomed  the  exposure  at  the  time.  Her 
pride  was  lifting  its  battered  head,  and  although 
she  felt  no  remorse,  and  was  without  hope,  and 
her  unclouded  consciousness  foreshadowed  long 
years  of  spiritual  torment  and  longing  with  not 
a  diversion  to  lighten  the  gloom,  she  possessed 
herself  more  nearly  that  night  than  since  Holt 
had  given  her  what  she  had  believed  to  be  her 
death  blow. 

If  she  could  only  die.     But  death  was  no 
friend  of  hers. 


XXXVII 

HAT  afternoon  Holt  called  on  Dr.  Tal- 
bot  in  his  office.  Half  an  hour  later, 
looking  flushed  and  angry,  he  strolled  frowning 
down  Bush  street,  then  turned  abruptly  and 
walked  in  the  direction  of  South  Park.  He  did 
not  know  Mrs.  McLane  but  he  believed  she 
would  see  him. 

He  called  at  midnight  —  and  on  many  suc 
ceeding  nights  —  for  Madeleine  and  took  her 
to  several  of  the  dives  that  seemed  to  afford  her 
amusement.  He  noticed  that  she  drank  little, 
and  had  a  glimmering  of  the  truth.  News 
paper  men  have  several  extra  senses.  It  was 
also  apparent  that  the  life  she  had  led  had  not 
made  her  callous.  As  he  insisted  upon  "  treat 
ing  "  her  she  would  have  none  of  champagne 
but  ordered  ponies  of  brandy. 

Now  that  she  had  a  cavalier  she  was  stared 
at  more  than  formerly,  and  there  was  some 
audible  ribald  comment  which  Holt  did  his 
best  to  ignore 5  but  as  time  wore  on  those  bent 

231 


222  SLEEPING    FIRES 

on  hilarity  or  stupor  ceased  to  notice  two  people 
uninterestingly  sober. 

Holt  talked  of  Masters  constantly,  relating 
every  incident  of  his  sojourn  in  San  Francisco 
he  could  recall,  and  of  his  past  that  had  come  to 
his  knowledge  j  expatiating  bitterly  upon  his 
wasted  gifts  and  blasted  life.  The  more  Made 
leine  winced  the  further  he  drove  in  the  knife. 

One  night  they  were  sitting  on  a  balcony  in 
Chinatown.  In  the  restaurant  behind  them  a 
banquet  was  being  given  by  a  party  of  Chinese 
merchants,  and  Holt  had  thought  the  scene 
might  amuse  her.  The  round  table  was  covered 
with  dishes  no  larger  than  those  played  with  in 
childhood  and  the  portions  were  as  minute. 
The  sleek  merchants  wore  gorgeously  embroid 
ered  costumes,  and  behind  them  were  women  of 
their  own  race,  dressed  plainly  in  the  national 
garb,  their  stiff  oiled  hair  stuck  with  long  pins 
lobed  with  glass.  They  were  evidently  an  or 
chestra,  for  they  sang,  or  rather  chanted,  in  high 
monotonous  voices,  as  mournful  as  their  gray 
expressionless  faces.  In  two  recesses,  extended 
on  teakwood  couches,  were  Chinamen  presum 
ably  of  the  same  class  as  the  diners,  but  wearing 
their  daily  blue  silk  unadorned  and  leisurely 


SLEEPING    FIRES  223 

smoking  the  opium  pipe.  The  room  was  heavily 
gilded  and  decorated  and  on  the  third  floor  as 
befitted  its  rank.  Chinamen  of  humbler  status 
dined  on  the  floor  below,  and  the  ground  res 
taurant  accommodated  the  coolies. 

On  the  little  balcony,  their  chairs  wedged 
between  large  vases  of  growing  plants,  Made 
leine  could  watch  the  function  without  attract 
ing  attention  j  or  lean  over  the  railing  and  look 
down  upon  the  narrow  street  hung  with  gay 
paper  lanterns  above  the  open  doors  of  shops 
that  flaunted  the  wares  of  the  Orient  under 
strange  gilt  signs.  There  were  many  little 
balconies  high  above  the  street  and  they  were 
as  brilliantly  lit  as  for  a  festival.  From  several 
came  the  sound  of  raucous  instrumental  music 
or  that  same  thin  chant  as  of  lost  souls  wander 
ing  in  outer  darkness.  The  street  was  thronged 
with  Chinamen  of  the  lower  caste  in  dark  blue 
cotton  smocks,  pendent  pigtails,  and  round 
coolie  hats. 

It  was  eight  o'clock,  but  it  was  Holt's  "  night 
off  "  and  as  he  had  told  her  that  morning  he 
could  get  a  pass  for  the  dinner,  and  that  it  was 
time  she  "  changed  her  bill,"  she  had  risen  curly 
and  met  him  at  her  door. 


224  SLEEPING    FIRES 

It  was  apparent  that  she  took  a  lively  interest 
in  this  bit  of  Shanghai  but  a  step  out  of  the 
Occident,  for  her  face  had  lost  its  heavy  brood 
ing  and  she  asked  him  many  questions.  It  was 
an  hour  before  Masters'  name  was  mentioned, 
and  then  she  said  abruptly: 

"  You  tell  me  much  of  his  life  out  here  and 
before  he  came,  but  you  hardly  ever  say  any 
thing  about  the  present." 

"  That  sort  of  life  is  much  of  a  muchness." 

"  How  do  you  hear?" 

"  One  of  the  Bulletin  men  —  Tom  Lacey  — 
went  East  just  after  Masters  did.  He  is  on  the 
Times.  Several  of  us  correspond  with  him." 

"  Has  —  has  he  ever  been  —  literally,  I 
mean  —  in  the  gutter?" 

"  Probably.  He  was  in  a  hospital  for  a  time 
and  when  he  came  out  several  of  his  friends 
tried  to  buck  him  up.  But  it  was  no  use.  He 
did  work  on  one  of  the  newspapers  —  the 
Tribune ,  I  believe  —  about  half  sober  until  he 
had  paid  his  hospital  bill  with  something  to 
spare.  Then  he  went  to  work  in  the  same  old 
steady  painstaking  way  to  drink  himself  to 
death." 

"  Wh  —  why  did  he  go  to  the  hospital? 
Was  he  very  ill?" 


SLEEPING    FIRES  225 

"  Busted  the  crust  of  a  policeman  and  got  his 
own  busted  at  the  same  time." 

"  How  is  it  you  spared  me  this  before?" 

He  pretended  not  to  see  her  tears,  or  her 
working  hands. 

"  Didn't  want  to  give  you  too  heavy  doses 
at  once,  but  you  are  so  much  stronger  that  I 
chanced  it.  He's  been  in  more  than  one  spec 
tacular  affair.  One  night,  in  front  of  the  City 
Prison,  he  tossed  the  driver  off  a  van  as  if  the 
man  had  been  a  dead  leaf,  and  before  the  guard 
had  time  to  jump  to  his  seat  he  was  on  the  box 
and  had  lashed  the  horses.  He  drove  like  mad 
all  over  New  York  for  hours,  the  prisoners  in 
side  yelling  and  cursing  at  the  top  of  their 
lungs.  They  thought  it  was  a  new  and  devil 
ishly  ingenious  mode  of  punishment.  When 
the  horses  dropped  he  left  the  van  where  it 
stood  and  went  home.  There  was  a  frightful 
row  over  the  affair.  Masters  was  arrested,  of 
course,  but  bailed  out.  He  has  friends  still 
and  some  of  them  are  influential.  The  trial 
was  postponed  a  few  times  and  then  dropped. 
His  rows  are  too  numerous  to  mention.  When 
he  was  here  and  sober  he  betrayed  anger  only 
in  his  eyes,  which  looked  like  steel  blades  run 


226  SLEEPING    FIRES 

through  fire,  and  with  the  most  caustic  tongue 
ever  put  in  a  man's  head.  But  when  he's  in 
certain  stages  of  insobriety  his  fighting  instincts 
appear  to  take  their  own  sweet  way.  At  other 
times,  Lacey  writes,  he  is  as  interesting  as  ever 
and  men  sit  round  eagerly  and  listen  to  him 
talk.  At  others  he  simply  disappears.  Did  I 
tell  you  he  had  come  into  a  little  money  —  just 
recently?" 

"  No,  you  did  not.  Why  doesn't  he  start  a 
newspaper?" 

"  He's  probably  forgotten  he  ever  wanted 
one  —  no,  I  don't  fancy  he  ever  forgets  any 
thing.  Only  death  will  destroy  that  brain 
no  matter  how  he  may  obfuscate  it.  And  I 
guess  there  are  times  when  he  can't,  poor  devil. 
But  he  couldn't  start  a  newspaper  on  what  he's 
got.  It's  just  enough  to  buy  him  all  he  wants 
without  the  necessity  for  work." 

"How  did  he  get  it?" 

"  His  elder  brother  —  only  remaining  mem 
ber  of  the  immediate  family  —  died  and  left 
him  the  old  plantation  in  Virgina  —  what  there 
is  left  of  it;  and  a  small  income  from  two  or 
three  old  houses  in  Richmond.  Masters  told 
me  once  that  when  the  war  left  them  high  and 


SLEEPING    FIRES  227 

dry  he  agreed  to  waive  his  share  in  the  estate 
provided  his  brother  would  take  care  of  his 
mother  and  the  old  place.  The  estate  comes  to 
him  now,  but  in  trust.  At  his  death,  without 
legal  heir,  it  goes  to  a  cousin." 

"  Oh,  take  me  home,  please.     I  can't  stand 
those  wailing  women  any  longer." 


XXXVIII 

A  MONTH  later  there  was  a  tap  on  Made 
leine's  door.  She  rose  earlier  these  days 
and  opened  it  at  once,  assuming  that  it  was  a 
message  from  Holt.  But  Mr.  McLane  stood 
there. 

"  How  are  you,  Madeleine?  May  I  come 
in?"  He  shook  her  half-extended  hand  as  if 
he  were  paying  her  an  afternoon  call  at  the 
Occidental  Hotel,  and  sat  down  on  the  horse 
hair  sofa  with  a  genial  smile  j  placing  his  high 
silk  hat  and  gold-headed  cane  beside  him. 

"  Glad  to  see  you  looking  so  well.  I've 
wanted  to  call  for  a  long  time,  but  as  you 
dropped  us  all  like  so  many  hot  potatoes,  I 
hesitated,  and  was  delighted  today  when 
Howard  gave  me  an  excuse." 

"Howard?" 

"  Yes,  he  wants  you  to  go  back  to  him." 

"  That  I'll  never  do." 

"  Don't  be  hasty.  He  is  willing  to  forget 
everything  —  he  asked  me  to  make  you  under- 

228 


SLEEPING    FIRES  229 

stand  that  he  would  never  mention  the  subject. 
He  will  also  put  your  share  of  your  father's 
estate  unreservedly  in  your  hands  as  soon  as  the 
usual  legal  delays  are  over.  You  knew  that 
your  father  was  dead,  did  you  not?  And  your 
mother  also?" 

"  Oh  yes,  I  knew.  It  didn't  seem  to  make 
any  difference.  I  knew  I  never  should  see  them 
again  anyhow." 

"  Howard  was  appointed  trustee  of  your  in 
heritance,  but  as  I  said,  he  does  not  mean  to  take 
advantage  of  the  fact.  I  am  informed,  by  the 
way,  that  your  brother  never  told  your  parents 
that  you  had  left  Howard.  He  knew  nothing 
beyond  the  fact,  of  course." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  of  that." 

She  had  no  intention  of  shedding  any  tears 
before  Mr.  McLane.  Let  him  think  her  callous 
if  he  must. 

"About  Howard?" 

:<  I'll  never  go  back  to  him.  I  never  want 
to  see  him  again." 

"Not  if  he  would  take  you  to  Europe  to  live? 
There  is  an  opening  for  an  American  doctor  in 
Paris." 

"  I  never  want  to  see  him  again.     I  know  he 


230  SLEEPING    FIRES 

is  a  good  man  but  I  hate  him.  And  if  I  did  go 
back  it  would  be  worse.  You  may  tell  him 
that." 

"  Is  your  decision  irrevocable?" 

"  Yes,  it  is." 

"  Then  I  must  tell  you  that  if  there  is  no 
prospect  of  your  return  he  will  divorce  you." 

"Divorced  —  I  divorced?"  Her  eyes  ex 
panded  with  horrified  astonishment.  But  only 
for  a  moment.  She  threw  back  her  head  and 
laughed.  "  That  was  funny,  wasn't  it?  Well, 
let  him  do  as  he  thinks  best.  And  he  may  be 
happy  once  more  if  I  am  out  of  his  life  alto 
gether.  He  won't  have  much  trouble  getting 
a  divorce!" 

"  He  will  obtain  it  on  the  ground  of  deser 
tion." 

"  Oh!  Well,  he  was  always  a  very  good 
man.  Poor  Howard!  I  hope  he'll  marry 
again  and  be  happy." 

"  Better  think  it  over.  I  —  by  the  way  — 
I'm  not  sure  the  women  wouldn't  come  round  in 
timej  particularly  if  you  lived  abroad  for  a 
few  years." 

She  curled  her  lip.  "  And  I  should  have  my 
precious  position  in  Society  again!  How  much 


SLEEPING    FIRES  231 

do  you  suppose  that  means  to  me?  Have  the 
fatted  calf  killed  and  coals  of  fire  poured  on 
my  humbled  head!  Do  you  think  I  have  no 
pride?" 

"  You  appear  to  have  regained  it.  I  wish 
you  could  regain  the  rest  and  be  the  radiant 
creature  you  were  when  you  came  to  us.  God! 
What  a  lovely  stunning  creature  you  were!  It 
hurts  me  like  the  devil,  I  can  tell  you.  And 
it's  hurt  the  women  too.  They  were  fond  of 
you.  Do  you  know  that  Sally  is  dead?" 

"  Yes.  She  had  everything  to  live  for  and 
she  died.  Life  seems  to  amuse  herself  with 


us." 


"  She's  a  damned  old  hag."  He  rose  and 
took  up  his  hat  and  cane.  "  Well,  Pll  wait  a 
week,  and  then  if  you  don't  relent  the  proceed 
ings  will  begin.  I  shan't  get  the  divorce.  Not 
my  line.  But  he  asked  me  to  talk  to  you  and  I 
was  glad  to  come.  Good-by." 

She  smiled  as  she  shook  hands  with  him.  As 
he  opened  the  door  he  turned  to  her  again. 

"  That  young  Holt  is  a  good  fellow  and  has 
a  head  on  his  shoulders.  Better  be  guided  by 
him  if  he  offers  you  any  advice." 


XXXIX 

ALMOST  insensibly  and  without  comment 
Madeleine  fell  into  the  habit  of  sleeping 
at  night  and  going  abroad  with  Holt  in  the  day 
time.  Nor  did  he  take  her  to  any  more  dives. 
They  went  across  the  Bay,  either  to  Oakland 
or  Sausalito,  and  took  long  walks,  dining  at 
some  inn  where  they  were  sure  to  meet  no  one 
they  knew.  She  had  asked  him  to  buy  her 
books,  as  she  did  not  care  to  venture  either  into 
the  bookstores  or  the  Mercantile  Library.  She 
now  had  a  part  of  her  new  income  to  spend  as 
she  chose,  and  moved  into  more  comfortable 
rooms,  although  far  from  the  fashionable 
quarter.  She  was  restless  and  often  very 
nervous  but  Holt  knew  that  she  drank  no 
longer.  There  had  been  another  revolution  of 
the  wheel :  she  would  have  a  large  income,  free 
dom  impended,  the  future  was  hers  to  dispose 
of  at  will.  Her  health  was  excellent;  she  had 
regained  her  old  proud  bearing. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it?"  he 
s  23* 


SLEEPING    FIRES  233 

asked  her  abruptly  one  evening.  They  were 
sitting  in  the  arbor  of  a  restaurant  on  the  water 
front  at  Sausalito  and  had  just  finished  dinner. 
The  steep  promontory  rose  behind  them  a  wild 
forest  of  oak  and  pine,  madrona  and  chaparral. 
Across  the  sparkling  dark  green  water  San 
Francisco  looked  a  pale  blue  in  the  twilight  and 
there  was  a  banner  of  soft  pink  above  her. 
Lights  were  appearing  on  the  military  islands, 
the  ferry  boats,  and  yachts.  "  You  will  be  free 
in  about  a  month  now.  Have  you  made  any 
plans?  You  will  not  stay  here,  of  course." 

"  Stay  here !  I  shall  leave  the  day  the  decree 
is  granted,  and  I'll  never  see  California  again 
as  long  as  I  live." 

"  But  where  shall  you  go?" 

"  Oh  —  it  would  be  interesting  to  live  in 
Europe." 

"  Whether  you  have  admitted  it  to  yourself 
or  not  you  have  not  the  remotest  idea  of  going 
to  Europe." 

"Oh?" 

"  You  are  going  to  Langdon  Masters.  Noth 
ing  in  the  world  could  keep  you  away  from 
him  —  or  should." 

"  I  wish  women  smoked.  You  look  so  placid. 
And  I  am  glad  ycoi  smoke  cigarettes." 


234  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"Why  not  try  one?" 

"  Oh,  no!  "  She  looked  scandalized.  "  I 
never  did  that  —  before.  The  other  was  for 
a  purpose,  not  because  I  liked  it." 

"  I  am  used  to  your  line  of  ratiocination.  But 
you  haven't  answered  my  question." 

"  Did  you  ask  one?" 

"  In  the  form  of  an  assertion,  yes." 

"  You  know  —  the  Church  forbids  marriage 
after  divorce." 

"Look  here,  Madeleine!"  Holt  brought 
his  fist  down  on  the  table  with  such  violence  that 
she  half  started  to  her  feet.  "  Do  you  mean  to 
tell  me  you  are  going  to  let  any  more  damn 
foolishness  wreck  your  life  a  second  time?" 

"  You  must  not  speak  of  the  Church  in  that 
way." 

"  Let  that  pass.  I  am  not  going  to  argue 
with  you.  You've  argued  it  all  out  with  your 
self  unless  I'm  much  mistaken.  Are  you  going 
to  let  Masters  kill  himself  when  you  can  save 
him?  Are  you  going  to  condemn  yourself  to 
a  miserably  solitary,  wandering,  aimless  life,  in 
which  you  are  no  good  to  yourself,  your  Church, 
or  any  one  on  earth  —  and  with  a  crime  on 
your  soul?" 


SLEEPING    FIRES  235 

"I  —  I  —  haven't  admitted  to  myself  what 
I  shall  do.  It  has  seemed  to  me  that  when  I 
am  free  I  shall  simply  go  — 

"  And  straight  to  Masters.  As  well  for  a 
needle  to  try  to  run  away  from  a  magnet." 

"  Oh,  I  wonder!  I  wonder! "  But  she  did  not 
look  distressed.  Her  face  was  transfigured  as 
if  she  saw  a  vision.  But  it  fell  in  a  moment, 
that  inner  glowing  lamp  extinguished. 

"  He  may  no  longer  want  me.  He  may  have 
forgotten  me.  Or  if  he  remembers  it  must  only 
be  to  remind  himself  that  I  have  ruined  his 
life.  He  may  hate  me." 

"  That  is  likely!  If  he  hated  you  he'd  have 
pulled  up  long  ago.  He  knows  he  still  has  it 
in  him  to  make  a  name  for  himself,  whether 
he  owns  a  newspaper  or  not.  If  he's  gone  on 
making  a  fool  of  himself  it's  because  his  longing 
for  you  is  insupportable  j  he  can  forget  you  in 
no  other  way." 

"  Can  men  really  love  like  that?"  The  inner 
lamp  glowed  again. 

"  A  few.  Not  many,  perhaps.  Langdon's 
one  of  them.  Case  of  a  rare  whole  being 
chopped  in  two  by  fate  and  both  halves  bleed 
ing  to  death  without  the  other.  There  are  a 


236  SLEEPING    FIRES 

few  immortal  love  affairs  in  the  world's  history, 
and  that's  just  what  makes  'em  immortal." 

She  did  not  answer,  but  sat  staring  at  the 
rosy  peaceful  light  above  the  fiery  city  that 
had  burnt  out  so  many  lives.  Then  her  face 
changed  suddenly.  It  was  set  and  determined, 
almost  hard.  He  thought  she  looked  like  a 
beautiful  Medusa. 

"  Yes,"  she  said.  "  I  am  going  to  him.  I 
suppose  I  have  known  it  all  along.  At  all 
events  I  know  it  now." 

"  And  what  is  your  plan?" 

"  I  have  had  no  time  to  make  one  yet." 

"  Will  you  listen  to  mine?" 

"  Do  not  I  always  listen  to  you  with  the 
greatest  respect?"  She  was  the  charming 
woman  again.  "  Mr.  McLane  told  me  that  I 
was  to  follow  your  advice  —  I  have  an  idea 
you  have  engineered  this  whole  affair!  — But 
if  he  hadn't  —  well,  I  have  every  reason  to  be 
humbly  grateful  to  you.  If  this  terrible  tangle 
ever  unravels  I  shall  owe  it  to  you." 

"  Then  listen  to  me  now.  What  I  said  — 
that  his  actions  prove  that  he  cares  for  you  as 
much  as  ever  —  is  true.  But  —  you  might 
come  upon  him  in  a  condition  where  he  would 


SLEEPING    FIRES  237 

not  recognize  you,  or  was  morose  from  too 
much  drink  or  too  little  j  and  for  the  moment 
he  would  hate  you,  either  because  you  reminded 
him  too  forcibly  of  what  he  had  been  and  was, 
or  because  it  degraded  him  further  to  be  seen 
by  you  in  such  a  state.  He  could  make  him 
self  excessively  disagreeable  sober.  Drunk, 
panic  stricken,  reckless,  I  should  think  he  might 
achieve  a  masterpiece  in  that  line  that  would 
make  you  feel  like  ten  cents.  .  .  .  This  is  my 
plan.  I'll  go  on  at  once  and  prepare  him. 
Get  him  down  to  his  home  in  Virginia  on  one 
pretence  or  another,  sober  him  up  by  degrees, 
and  then  tell  him  all  you  have  been  through 
for  his  sake,  and  that  as  soon  as  you  are  free 
you  will  come  to  him.  He'll  be  a  little  more 
like  himself  by  that  time  and  can  stand  having 
you  look  at  him.  .  .  .  It'll  be  no  easy  task  at 
first  j  and  I'll  have  to  taper  him  off  to  prevent 
any  blow  to  his  heart.  There  may  be  relapses, 
and  the  whole  thing  to  do  over;  but  I  shall  use 
the  talisman  of  your  name  as  soon  as  he  is  in  a 
condition  to  understand,  and  shall  succeed  in 
the  end.  Once  let  the  idea  take  hold  of  him 
that  he  can  have  you  at  last  and  it  is  only  a 
question  of  tim 


238  SLEEPING    FIRES 

She  made  no  reply  for  a  moment.  She  sat 
with  her  eyes  on  his  as  he  spoke.  At  first  they 
had  opened  widely,  melted  and  flashed.  But 
they  narrowed  slowly.  As  he  finished  she 
turned  her  profile  toward  him  and  he  had  never 
seen  a  cameo  look  harder. 

"  That  would  be  an  easy  way  out,"  she  said. 
"  But  it  does  not  appeal  to  me.  Nothing  easy 
appeals  to  me  these  days.  I'll  fight  my  own 
battles  and  overcome  my  own  obstacles.  Be 
sides,  he's  mine.  He  shall  owe  nothing  to  any 
one  but  to  me.  I'll  find  him  and  cure  him 
myself." 

"  But  you'll  have  a  hard  time  finding  him. 
He  disappears  for  weeks  at  a  time.  Even  Tom 
Lacey  might  not  be  able  to  help  you." 

"  I'll  find  him." 

"  You  may  have  to  haunt  the  most  abomi 
nable  places." 

"  You  seem  to  forget  that  I  have  haunted  a 
good  many  abominable  places.  And  if  they  are 
good  enough  for  him  they  are  good  enough 
for  me." 

"  New  York  has  the  worst  set  of  roughs  in  the 
world.  Our  hoodlums  are  lambs  beside  them." 

"  I  have  no  fear  of  anything  but  not  finding 
him  in  time." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  239 

"  But  that  is  not  the  worst.  You  should  not 
see  him  in  that  state.  You  might  find  him  liter 
ally  in  the  gutter.  He  might  be  a  sight  you 
never  could  forget.  No  matter  what  you  made 
of  him  you  never  could  obliterate  such  a  hideous 
memory.  And  he  might  say  things  to  you  that 
your  outraged  pride  would  never  forgive." 

"  I  can  forget  anything  I  choose.  Nor  could 
anything  he  said,  nor  anything  he  may  have 
become,  horrify  me.  Don't  you  think  I  have 
pictured  all  that?  I  think  of  him  every  moment 
and  I  am  not  a  coward.  I  have  imagined 
things  that  may  be  worse  than  the  reality." 

"  Hardly.  But  there  is  another  danger. 
You  might  kidnap  him  and  get  him  sobered  up, 
only  to  lose  him  again.  He  might  be  so  over 
come  with  shame  that  he  would  cut  loose  and 
hide  where  you  would  never  find  him.  Remem 
ber,  his  pride  was  as  great  as  yours." 

"  I'd  track  him  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
He's  mine  and  I'll  have  him." 

Holt  stared  at  her  for  a  moment  in  per 
plexity,  then  laughed.  "  You  are  a  liberal 
education,  Madeleine.  Just  as  I  think  I  re  -.illy 
know  you  at  last  you  break  out  in  a  new  place. 
Masters  will  have  an  interesting  life.  You 


240  SLEEPING    FIRES 

must  be  a  sort  of  continued-in-our-next  story 
for  any  one  who  has  the  right  to  love  and  live 
with  you.  But  for  any  one  else  who  has  loved 
you  it  must  be  death  and  damnation." 

She  stole  a  glance  at  him,  wondering  if  he 
loved  her.  If  he  did  he  had  never  made  a  sign, 
and  at  the  moment  he  seemed  to  be  appraising 
her  with  his  sharp  cool  blue  eyes. 

"  I  was  thinking  of  the  doctor,"  he  said 
calmly.  "  Although,  of  course,  there  must 
have  been  a  good  many  in  a  more  or  less  idiotic 
state  over  the  reigning  toast." 

"The  reigning  toast!  .  .  .  Well,  I'll  never 
be  that  again.  But  it  wron't  matter  if  —  when  — 
You  are  to  promise  me  you  will  not  write  to 
him!" 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  promise."  Holt  had  been  rapidly 
formulating  his  own  plans.  "  But  you'll  let  me 
give  you  a  letter  to  Lacey?  It's  a  wild  goose 
chase  but  a  little  advice  might  help." 

"  I  should  have  asked  you  for  a  line  to  Mr. 
Lacey.  I  don't  wish  to  waste  time  if  I  can  help 
it." 

He  rose.  "Well,  there's  a  pile  of  blank 
paper  and  a  soft  pencil  waiting  for  me.  I've  an 
editorial  to  write  on  the  low-lived  politics  of 


SLEEPING    FIRES  241 

San  Francisco,  and  another  on  the  increasing 
number  of  murders  in  our  fair  city.  Look  at 
the  fog  sailing  in  through  the  Golden  Gate, 
pushing  itself  along  like  the  prow  of  a  ship. 
You'll  never  see  anything  as  beautiful  as  Cali 
fornia  again.  But  I  suppose  that  worries  you 
a  lot." 

She  smiled,  a  little  mysterious  smile,  but  she 
did  not  reply,  and  they  walked  down  to  the 
ferry  slip  in  silence. 


XL 


MADELEINE  went  directly  from  the 
train  to  Printing  House  Square  and  had 
a  long  talk  with  "  Tom  "  Lacey.  He  had  been 
advised  of  her  coming  and  her  quest  and  had 
already  made  a  search  for  Masters,  but  without 
result.  This  he  had  no  intention  of  imparting, 
however,  but  told  her  a  carefully  prepared 
story. 

Masters  had  been  writing  regularly  for  some 
time  and  it  was  generally  believed  among  his 
friends  that  he  had  pulled  up  in  a  measure,  but 
where  he  was  hiding  himself  no  one  knew. 
Cheques  and  suggestions  were  sent  to  the  Post 
Office,  but  he  had  no  box,  nor  did  he  call  for 
his  mail  in  person. 

He  appeared  no  more  at  the  restaurants  in 
Nassau  or  Fulton  Streets,  or  in  Park  Row,  and 
it  would  be  idle  to  look  for  him  up  town.  It 
was  apparent  that  he  wished  to  avoid  his  friends, 
and  to  do  this  effectually  he  had  probably 
hidden  himself  in  one  of  the  rabbit  warrens  of 


242 


SLEEPING    FIRES  243 

Nassau  Street,  where  the  King  of  England  or 
the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias  might  hide  for  a 
lifetime  and  never  be  found.  But  Masters 
could  be  "  located,"  no  doubt  of  that.  "  It  only 
needs  patience  and  alertness,"  said  Lacey,  look 
ing  straight  into  Madeleine's  vigilant  eyes.  "  I 
have  a  friend  on  the  police  force  down  there 
who  will  spot  him  before  long  and  send  for  me 
hot-foot." 

It  was  Lacey's  intention  to  sublet  a  small 
office  in  one  of  the  swarming  buildings,  put  a 
cot  in  it  and  a  cooking  stove,  and  transfer 
Masters  to  it  as  soon  as  he  was  found.  He 
knew  what  some  of  Masters'  haunts  were  and 
had  no  intention  that  this  delicate  proud  woman 
should  see  him  in  any  of  them. 

When  she  told  him  that  she  should  never 
leave  Masters  again  after  his  whereabouts  had 
been  discovered,  he  warned  her  not  to  take 
rooms  in  a  hotel.  There  would  be  unpleasant 
espionage,  possibly  newspaper  scandal.  There 
was  nothing  for  it  but  Bleecker  Street.  It  was 
outwardly  quiet,  the  rooms  were  large  and  com 
fortable  in  many  of  those  once-fashionable 
houses,  and  it  was  the  one  street  in  New  York 
where  no  questions  were  asked  and  no  curiosity 


244  SLEEPING    FIRES 

felt.  It  was  no  place  for  her,  of  course  —  but 
under  the  circumstances  —  if  she  persisted  in 
her  idea  of  keeping  Masters  with  her  until  iiis 
complete  recovery  — 

"My  neighbors  will  not  worry  me,"  she  said, 
smiling  for  the  first  time.  "  It  seems  to  be 
just  the  place.  I  already  feel  bewildered  in 
this  great  rushing  noisy  city.  I  have  lived  in 
a  small  city  for  so  long  that  I  had  almost  for 
gotten  there  were  great  onesj  and  I  should  not 
know  what  to  do  without  your  advice.  I  am 
very  grateful." 

"  Glad  to  do  anything  I  can.  When  Holt 
wrote  me  you  were  coming  and  there  was  a 
chance  to  pull  Masters  out  of  the  —  put  him  on 
his  legs  again,  I  went  right  up  in  the  air.  You 
may  count  on  me.  Always  glad  to  do  any 
thing  I  can  for  a  lady,  too.  I  used  to  see  you 
at  the  theatre  and  driving,  Mrs.  Talbot,  and 
wished  I  were  one  of  the  bloods.  Seems  like 
a  fairy  tale  to  be  able  to  help  you  now." 

He  had  red  hair  and  slate-colored  eyes,  a  snub 
nose  and  many  freckles,  but  she  thought  him 
quite  beautiful  -y  he  was  her  only  friend  in  this 
terrifying  city,  and  there  was  no  doubt  she 
could  count  on  him. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  245 

"  How  shall  I  go  about  finding  a  lodging  in 
Bleecker  Street?"  she  asked.  "  I  stayed  at  the 
Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  when  I  visited  New  York 
with  my  mother,  and  as  I  know  nothing  of  the 
other  hotels,  I  left  my  luggage  at  the  depot 
until  I  should  have  seen  you.  I  didn't  dare 
go  where  I  might  run  into  any  one.  Cali- 
fornians  are  beginning  to  visit  New  York. 
Moreover,  my  brother  and  his  family  live  here 
and  I  particularly  wish  to  avoid  them.'1 

"  A  theatrical  troupe  is  just  leaving  town  — 
so  there  should  be  several  empty  rooms.  A 
good  many  of  them  hang  out  there  when  in 
New  York.  There  is  one  thing  in  your  favor. 
Your  —  pardon  me  —  beauty  won't  be  so  con 
spicuous  in  Bleecker  Street  as  it  would  be  in 
hotels.  It  isn't  only  actresses  that  lodge  there, 
but  —  well  —  those  ladies  so  richly  dowered  by 
nature  they  command  the  longest  pocketbooks, 
and  the  owners  thereof  sometimes  have  a  pew  in 
Trinity  Church  and  a  seat  on  the  Stock  Ex 
change.  The  great  world  averts  its  eyes  from 
Bleecker  Street,  and  you  will  be  as  safe  in  there 
as  the  most  respectable  sinner.  Nor  will  you  be 
annoyed  by  rowdyism  in  the  street,  although 
you  may  hear  echoes  of  high  old  times  going 


246  SLEEPING    FIRES 

on  in  some  of  the  houses  patronized  by  artists 
and  students  —  it's  a  sort  of  Latin  Quarter,  too. 
Little  of  everything,  in  fact.  Now,  come 
along.  We'll  take  a  hack,  get  your  luggage, 
and  fix  you  up." 

«  And  you'll  vow  —  " 

"  To  send  for  you  the  moment  Masters  is 
located?  Just  rely  on  Tom  Lacey." 


XLI 

MADELEINE  took  two  floors  of  a  large 
brown  stone  house  in  Bleecker  Street, 
and  the  accommodating  landlady  found  a 
colored  wench  to  keep  her  rooms  in  order  and 
cook  her  meals.  A  room  at  the  back  and  facing 
the  south  was  fitted  up  for  Masters.  It  was 
a  masculine-looking  room  with  its  solid  ma 
hogany  furniture,  and  as  his  books  were  stored 
in  the  cellar  of  the  Times  Building  she  had 
shelves  built  to  the  ceiling  on  the  west  wall. 
Lacey  obtained  an  order  for  the  books  without 
difficulty,  and  Madeleine  disposed  of  several  of 
her  long  evenings  filling  the  shelves.  When 
she  had  finished,  one  side  of  the  large  room  at 
least  looked  exactly  like  his  parlor  in  the  Occi 
dental  Hotel.  She  also  hung  the  windows  with 
green  curtains  and  draped  the  mantelpiece  with 
the  same  material.  Green  had  been  his  favorite 
color. 

She  had  rebelled  at  giving  up  her  original 
purpose    of    making    a    personal    search    for 

247 


248  SLEEPING    FIRES 

Masters,  but  one  look  at  New  York  had  con 
vinced  her  that  if  Lacey  would  not  help  her  she 
must  employ  a  detective.  Nevertheless,  she 
went  every  mid-day  to  one  or  other  of  the 
restaurants  below  Chambers  Street;  and, 
although  nothing  had  ever  terrified  her  so  much, 
she  ventured  into  Nassau  Street  at  least  once  a 
day  and  struggled  through  it,  peering  into  every 
face. 

Nassau  Street  was  only  ten  blocks  long 
and  very  narrow,  but  it  would  seem  as  if,  during 
the  hours  of  business,  a  cyclone  gathered  all  the 
men  in  New  York  and  hurled  them  in  compact 
masses  down  its  length  until  they  were  met  by 
another  cyclone  that  drove  them  back  again. 
They  filled  the  street  as  well  as  the  narrow 
sidewalks,  they  poured  out  of  the  doorways  as 
if  impelled  from  behind,  and  Madeleine 
wondered  they  did  not  jump  from  the  windows. 
No  one  sauntered,  all  rushed  along  with  tense 
faces;  there  were  many  collisions  and  no  one 
paused  to  apologize,  nor  did  any  one  seem  to 
expect  it.  There  were  hundreds,  possibly 
thousands,  of  offices  in  those  buildings  high  for 
their  day,  and  every  profession,  every  business, 
every  known  or  unique  occupation,  was  repre- 


SLEEPING    FIRES  249 

sentcd.  There  were  banks  and  newspaper 
buildings,  hotels,  restaurants,  auction  rooms,  the 
Treasury  and  the  old  Dutch  Church  that  had 
been  turned  into  the  General  Post  Office.  There 
were  shops  containing  everything  likely  to 
appeal  to  men,  although  one  wondered  when 
they  found  time  for  anything  so  frivolous  as 
shopping;  second-hand  book  stores,  and  street 
hawkers  without  number. 

In  addition  to  the  thousands  of  men  who 
seemed  to  be  hurrying  to  and  from  some  busi 
ness  of  vital  import,  there  were  the  hundred 
thousand  or  more  who  surged  through  that 
narrow  thoroughfare  every  day  for  their  mail. 
The  old  church  looked  like  a  besieged  fortress 
and  Madeleine  marvelled  that  it  did  not  col 
lapse.  She  was  thankful  that  she  was  never 
obliged  to  enter  it.  Holt  and  her  lawyer  had 
been  instructed  to  send  their  letters  to  Lacey's 
care,  and  Lacey  when  obliged  to  communicate 
with  her,  either  called  or  sent  his  note  by  a 
messenger. 

Madeleine  was  so  hustled,  stepped  on, 
whirled  about,  that  she  finally  made  friends 
with  an  old  man  who  kept  one  of  the  second 
hand  shops,  and,  comparatively  safe,  used  the 
doorway  as  her  watch  tower. 


250  SLEEPING    FIRES 

One  day  she  thought  she  saw  Masters  and 
darted  out  into  the  street.  There  she  fought 
her  way  in  the  wake  of  a  tall  stooping  man  with 
black  hair  as  mercilessly  as  if  she  were  some 
frantic  woman  who  had  risked  her  all  on  the 
Stock  Exchange.  He  entered  the  door  of  one 
of  the  tall  buildings,  and  when  she  reached  it 
she  heard  the  sound  of  footsteps  rapidly 
mounting. 

She  followed  as  rapidly.  The  footsteps 
ceased.  When  she  arrived  at  the  fourth  floor 
she  knocked  on  every  door  in  turn.  It  was 
evidently  a  building  that  housed  men  of  the 
dingiest  social  status.  Every  man  who  an 
swered  her  peremptory  summons  looked  like  a 
derelict.  These  were  mere  semblances  of 
offices,  with  unmade  beds,  sometimes  on  the 
floor.  In  some  were  dreary  looking  women, 
partners,  no  doubt,  of  these  forlorn  men,  whose 
like  she  sometimes  saw  down  in  the  street.  But 
her  breathless  search  was  fruitless.  She  knew 
that  one  of  the  men  who  grudgingly  opened  his 
door  —  looking  as  if  he  expected  the  police  — 
was  the  man  she  had  followed,  and  she  was 
grateful  that  it  was  not  Masters. 

She  went  slowly  down  the  rickety  staircase 


SLEEPING    FIRES  251 

feeling  as  if  she  should  sink  at  every  step.  It 
had  been  her  first  ray  of  hope  in  two  weeks  and 
she  felt  faint  and  sick  under  the  reaction. 

She  found  a  coupe  in  Broadway  and  was 
driven  to  her  lodgings.  The  maid  was  waiting 
for  her  in  the  doorway,  evidently  perturbed. 

"  There's  a  strange  gentleman  upstairs  in  the 
parlor,  ma'am,"  she  said.  "  Not  Mr.  Lacey. 
I  didn't  want  to  let  him  in  but  he  would.  He 
said  —  " 

She  thrust  the  girl  aside  and  ran  up  the  steps. 
But  when  she  burst  into  the  parlor  the  man 
waiting  for  her  was  Ralph  Holt. 

She  dropped  into  a  chair  and  began  to  cry 
hysterically.  He  had  dealt  with  her  in  that 
state  before,  and  Amanda  had  lived  in  Bleecker 
Street  for  many  years.  She  was  growing  bored 
with  the  excessive  respectability  of  her  place, 
and  was  delighted  to  find  that  her  mistress  was 
human.  Cold  water,  sal  volatile,  and  hartshorn 
soon  restored  Madeleine's  composure.  She 
handed  her  hat  to  the  woman  and  was  alone 
with  Holt. 

"  I  thought  —  perhaps  you  understand  —  " 

"  I  understand,  all  right.  I  hope  you  are  not 
angry  with  me  for  following  you." 


252  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  I  am  only  too  glad  to  see  you.  I  never 
knew  a  city  could  be  so  big  and  heartless.  I 
have  felt  like  a  leaf  tossed  about  in  a  perpetual 
cold  wind.  When  did  you  arrive?  ' 

"  The  day  after  you  did." 

"What?  And  you  —  you  —  have  been 
looking  for  him?  ' 

"  That  is  what  I  came  for  —  partly.  Yes, 
Lacey  and  I  have  combed  the  town." 

Madeleine  sprang  to  her  feet.  "You've 
found  him!  I  know  it!  Why  don't  you 
say  so?  * 

"  Well,  we  know  where  he  is.  But  it's  no 
place  for  you." 

"  Take  me  at  once.    I  don't  care  what  it  is." 

"  But  I  do.  So  does  Lacey.  His  plan  was 
to  shanghai  him  and  sober  him  up.  But  — 
well  —  it  is  your  right  to  say  whether  he  shall 
do  that  or  not.  You  wanted  to  find  him  your 
self.  But  Five  Points  is  no  place  for  you,  and 
I  want  your  permission  to  carry  out  Lacey's 
program." 

"  What  is  Five  Points?  " 

"  The  worst  sink  in  New  York.  Just  imagine 
the  Barbary  Coast  of  San  Francisco  multiplied 
by  two  thousand.  There  is  said  to  be  nothing 
worse  in  London  or  Paris." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  253 

"  If  you  and  Mr.  Lacey  do  not  take  me  there 
I  shall  go  alone." 

"  Be  reasonable." 

"My  reason  works  quite  as  clearly  as  if 
my  heart  were  chloroformed.  Langdon  will 
know,  when  I  track  him  to  a  place  like  that, 
what  he  means  to  me." 

[<  He  probably  will  be  in  no  condition  to 
recognize  you." 

"  I'll  make  him  recognize  me.  Or  if  I 
cannot  you  may  use  your  force  then,  but  he 
shall  know  later  that  I  went  there  for  him. 
Have  you  seen  him?  " 

Holt  moved  uneasily  and  looked  away. 
"  Yes,  I  have  seen  him." 

"  You  need  not  be  so  distressed.  I  shall  not 
care  what  he  looks  like.  I  shall  see  htm  inside. 
Did  you  speak  to  him?  " 

"  He  either  did  not  recognize  me  or  pre 
tended  not  to." 

"  Well,  we  go  now." 

"  Won't  you  think  it  over?  " 

"  I  prefer  your  escort  to  that  of  a  policeman. 
I  shall  not  be  so  foolish  as  to  go  alone." 

"  Then  we'll  come  for  you  at  about  eleven 
tonight.  It  would  be  useless  to  go  look  for  him 


254  SLEEPING    FIRES 

now.  People  who  lead  that  sort  of  life  sleep  in 
the  day  time.  I  have  not  the  faintest  idea 
where  he  lives." 

"Very  well,  I  shall  have  to  wait,  I  suppose." 
Holt  rose.  "  Lacey  and  I  will  come  for  you, 
and  we'll  bring  with  us  two  of  the  biggest 
detectives  we  can  find.  It's  no  joke  taking  a 
woman  —  a  woman  like  you  —  Good  God!  — 
into  a  sewer  like  that.  Even  Lacey  and  I 
got  into  trouble  twice,  but  we  could  take  care 
of  ourselves.  Better  dine  with  me  at  Del- 
monico's  and  forget  things  for  a  while." 

"  I  could  not  eat,  nor  sit  still.  Nor  do  I 
wish  to  run  the  risk  of  meeting  my  brother; 
or  any  one  else  I  know.  Come  for  me  promptly 
at  eleven  or  you  will  not  find  me  here." 


XLII 

LANGDON  MASTERS  awoke  from  a 
sleep  that  had  lasted  all  day  and  glowered 
out  upon  the  room  he  occupied  in  Baxter 
Street.  It  was  as  wretched  as  all  tenements  in 
the  Five  Points,  but  it  had  the  distinguishing 
mark  of  neatness.  Drunk  as  he  might  be,  the 
drab  who  lived  with  him  knew  that  he  would 
detect  dirt  and  disorder,  and  that  her  slender 
hold  on  his  tolerance  would  be  forfeited  at 
once.  There  were  too  many  of  her  sort  in  the 
Five  Points  eager  for  the  position  of  mistress 
to  this  man  who  treated  them  as  a  sultan  might 
treat  the  meanest  of  his  concubines,  rarely 
throwing  them  a  word,  and  alternately  indul 
gent  and  brutal.  They  regarded  him  with  awe, 
even  forgetting  to  drink  when,  in  certain  stages 
of  his  cups,  he  entertained  by  the  hour  in  one 
or  other  of  the  groggeries  a  circle  of  the  most 
abandoned  characters  in  New  York  —  thieves, 
cracksmen,  murderers  actual  or  potential , 
"  shoulder-hitters,"  sailors  who  came  ashore  to 

255 


256  SLEEPING    FIRES 

drink  the  fieriest  rum  they  could  find,  prosti 
tutes,  dead-beats,  degenerates,  derelicts  —  with 
a  flow  of  talk  that  was  like  the  flashing  of 
jewels  in  the  gutter.  He  related  the  most 
stupendous  adventures  that  had  ever  befallen 
a  mortal.  If  any  one  of  his  audience  had 
heard  of  Munchausen  he  would  have  dis 
missed  him  as  a  poor  imitation  of  this  man  who 
would  seem  to  have  dropped  down  into  their 
filthy  and  lawless  quarter  from  a  sphere  where 
things  happened  unknown  to  men  on  this  planet. 
They  dimly  recognized  that  he  was  a  fallen 
gentleman,  for  at  long  intervals  good  church 
men  from  the  foreign  territory  of  Broadway 
or  Fifth  Avenue  came  to  remonstrate  and 
plead.  They  never  came  a  second  time  and 
they  usually  spent  the  following  week  in  bed. 

But  Masters  was  democratic  enough  in 
manner;  it  was  evident  that  he  regarded  him 
self  as  no  better  than  the  worst,  and  nothing 
appeared  to  be  further  from  his  mind  than 
reform  of  them  or  himself.  He  had  now  been 
with  them  for  six  months  and  came  and  went 
as  he  pleased.  In  the  beginning  his  indestruc 
tible  air  of  superiority  had  subtly  irritated 
them  in  spite  of  his  immediate  acceptance  of 


SLEEPING    FIRES  257 

their  standards,  and  there  had  been  two 
attempts  to  trounce  him.  But  he  was  appar 
ently  made  of  steel  rope,  he  knew  every  trick 
of  their  none  too  subtle  "  game,"  and  he  had 
knocked  out  his  assailants  and  won  the  final 
respect  of  Five  Points. 

And  if  he  was  finical  about  his  room  he  took 
care  to  be  no  neater  in  his  dress  than  his  associ 
ates.  Although  he  had  his  hair  cut  and  his 
face  shaved  he  wore  old  and  rough  clothes  and 
a  gray  flannel  shirt. 

Masters,  after  his  drab  had  given  him  a 
cup  of  strong  coffee  and  a  rasher,  followed  by 
a  glass  of  rum,  lost  the  horrid  sensations  inci 
dent  upon  the  waking  moment  and  looked  for 
ward  to  the  night  with  a  sardonic  but  not 
discontented  grin.  He  knew  that  he  had 
reached  the  lowest  depths,  and  if  his  tough 
frame  refused  to  succumb  to  the  vilest  liquor 
he  could  pour  into  it,  he  would  probably  be 
killed  in  some  general  shooting  fray,  or  by  one 
of  the  women  he  infatuated  and  cast  aside 
when  another  took  his  drunken  but  ever  ironic 
fancy.  Only  a  week  since  the  cyprian  at 
present  engaged  in  washing  his  dishes  hud  been 
nearly  demolished  by  the  damsel  she  had  super- 


258  SLEEPING    FIRES 

seded.  She  still  wore  a  livid  mark  on  her  cheek 
and  a  plaster  on  her  head  whence  a  handful 
of  hair  had  been  removed  by  the  roots.  He 
had  stood  aloof  during  the  fracas  in  the  dirty 
garish  dance  house  under  the  sidewalk,  laugh 
ing  consumedly;  and  had  awakened  the  next 
night  to  find  the  victor  mending  her  tattered 
finery.  She  made  him  an  excellent  cup  of 
coffee,  and  he  had  told  her  curtly  that  she  could 
stay. 

If,  in  his  comparatively  sober  moments, 
the  memory  of  Madeleine  intruded,  he  cast  it 
out  with  a  curse.  Not  because  he  blamed  her 
for  his  downfall;  he  blamed  no  one  but  him 
self;  but  because  any  recollection  of  the  past, 
all  it  had  been  and  promised,  was  unendurable. 
Whether  he  had  been  strong  or  weak  in  electing 
to  go  straight  to  perdition  when  Life  had 
scourged  him,  he  neither  knew  nor  cared.  He 
began  to  drink  on  the  steamer,  determined  to 
forget  for  the  present,  at  least;  but  the  mental 
condition  induced  was  far  more  agreeable  than 
those  moments  of  sobriety  when  he  felt  as  if 
he  were  in  hell  with  fire  in  his  vitals  and  cold 
terror  of  the  future  in  his  brain.  In  New  York, 
driven  by  his  pride,  he  had  made  one  or  two 


SLEEPING    FIRES  259 

attempts  to  recover  himself,  but  the  writing  of 
;ned  editorials  on  subjects  that  interested 
him  not  at  all  was  like  wandering  in  a  thirsty 
desert  without  an  oasis  in  sight  —  after  the 
champagne  of  his  life  in  San  Francisco  with 
a  future  as  glittering  as  its  skies  at  night  and 
the  daily  companionship  of  a  woman  whom  he 
had  believed  the  fates  must  give  him  wholly 
in  time. 

He  finally  renounced  self-respect  as  a  game 
not  worth  the  candle.  Moreover,  the  clarity 
of  mind  necessary  to  sustained  work  embraced 
ever  the  image  of  Madeleine;  what  he  had 
lost  and  what  he  had  never  possessed.  And, 
again,  he  tormented  himself  with  imaginings 
of  her  own  suffering  and  despair;  alternated 
with  visions  of  Madeleine  enthroned,  secure, 
impeccable,  admired,  envied  —  and  with  other 
men  in  love  with  her!  Some  depth  of  insight 
convinced  him  that  she  loved  him  immor 
tally,  but  he  knew  her  need  for  mental  com 
panionship,  and  the  thought  that  she  might 
find  it,  however  briefly  and  barrenly,  with 
another  man,  sent  him  plunging  once  more. 

His  friends  and  admirers  on  the  newspaper 
staffs  had  been  loyal,  but  not  only  was  he 


260  SLEEPING    FIRES 

irritated  by  their  manifest  attempts  to  reclaim 
him,  but  he  grew  to  hate  them  as  so  many  ac 
cusing  reminders  of  the  great  gifts  he  was 
striving  to  blast  out  by  the  roots 5  and,  finding 
it  difficult  to  avoid  them,  he  had,  as  soon  as  he 
was  put  in  possession  of  his  small  income, 
deliberately  transferred  himself  to  the  Five 
Points,  where  they  would  hardly  be  likely  to 
trace  him,  certainly  not  to  seek  his  society. 

And,  on  the  whole,  this  experience  in  a  de 
graded  and  perilous  quarter,  famous  the  world 
over  as  a  degree  or  two  worse  than  any  pest-hole 
of  its  kind,  was  the  most  enjoyable  of  his  pro 
longed  debauch.  It  was  only  a  few  yards  from 
Broadway,  but  he  had  never  set  foot  in  that 
magnificent  thoroughfare  of  brown  stone  and 
white  marble,  aristocratic  business  partner  of 
Fifth  Avenue,  since  he  entered  a  precinct  so 
different  from  New  York,  as  his  former  world 
knew  it,  that  he  might  have  been  on  a  convict 
island  in  the  South  Seas. 

The  past  never  obtruded  itself  here.  He 
was  surrounded  by  danger  and  degradation, 
ugliness  unmitigated,  and  a  complete  indiffer 
ence  to  anything  in  the  world  but  vice,  crime, 
liquor  and  the  primitive  appetites. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  261 

Even  the  children  in  the  swarming  squalid 
streets  looked  like  little  old  men  and  women ; 
they  fought  in  the  gutters  for  scraps  of  refuse, 
or  stood  staring  sullenly  before  them,  the  cry 
in  their  emaciated  bodies  dulled  with  the  poi 
sons  of  malnutrition  5  or  making  quick  passes  at 
the  pocket  of  a  thief.  The  girls  had  never 
been  young,  never  worn  anything  but  rags  or 
mean  finery,  the  boys  were  in  training  for  a 
career  of  crime,  the  sodden  women  seemed  to 
have  no  natural  affection  for  the  young  they 
bore  as  lust  prompted.  Men  beat  their  wives 
or  strumpets  with  no  interference  from  the 
police.  The  Sixth  Ward  was  the  worst  on 
Manhattan,  and  the  police  had  enough  to  do 
without  wasting  their  time  in  this  congested 
mass  of  the  city's  putrid  dregs  j  who  would  be 
conferring  a  favor  on  the  great  and  splendid 
and  envied  City  of  New  York  if  they  extermi 
nated  one  another  in  a  grand  final  orgy  of 
blood  and  hate. 

The  irony  in  Masters'  mind  might  sleep 
when  that  proud  and  contemptuous  organ  was 
sodden,  but  it  was  deathless.  When  he  thought 
at  all  it  was  to  congratulate  himself  with  a 
laugh  that  he  had  found  the  proper  setting  for 


262  SLEEPING    FIRES 

the  final  exit  of  a  man  whom  Life  had  equipped 
to  conquer,  and  Fate,  in  her  most  ironic 
lood,  had  challenged  to  battle  j  with  the  sting 
of  death  in  victory  if  he  won.  He  had  beaten 
her  at  her  own  game.  He  had  always  aimed  at 
.  consummation,  the  masterpiece  j  and  here,  in 
his  final  degradation,  he  had  accomplished  it. 

This  morning  he  laughed  aloud,  and  the 
woman  —  or  girl  ?  —  her  body  was  young  but 
her  scarred  face  was  almost  aged  —  wondered 
if  he  were  going  mad  at  last.  There  was  little 
time  lost  in  the  Five  Points  upon  discussion 
of  personal  peculiarities,  but  all  took  for 
granted  that  this  man  was  half  mad  and  would 
be  wholly  so  before  long. 

"  Is  anything  the  matter?  "  she  asked  tim 
idly,  her  eye  on  the  door  but  not  daring  to 
bolt. 

"  Oh,  no,  nothing!  Nothing  in  all  this 
broad  and  perfect  world.  Life  is  a  sweet- 
scented  garden  where  all  the  good  are  happy 
and  all  the  bad  receive  their  just  and  and  im 
mediate  deserts.  You  are  the  complete  epit 
ome  of  life,  yourself,  and  I  gaze  upon  you 
with  a  satisfaction  as  complete.  I  wouldn't 
change  you  for  the  most  silken  and  secluded 


SLEEPING    FIRES  263 

beauty  in  Bleecker  Street,  and  you  may  stay 
here  for  ever.  The  more  hideous  you  become 
the  more  pleased  I  shall  be.  And  you  needn't 
be  afraid  I  have  gone  mad.  I  am  damnably 
sane.  And  still  more  damnably  sober.  Go 
out  and  buy  me  a  bottle  of  Lethe,  and  be  quick 
about  it.  This  is  nearly  finished." 

"  Do  you  mean  rum?  "  She  was  reassured, 
somewhat,  but  he  had  a  fashion  of  making 
what  passed  for  her  brain  feel  as  if  it  had  been 
churned. 

"  Yes,  I  mean  rum,  damn  you.  Clear  out." 
He  opened  an  old  wallet  and  threw  a  hand 
ful  of  bills  on  the  floor.  "  Go  round  into 
Broadway  and  buy  yourself  a  gown  of  white 
satin  and  a  wreath  of  lilies  for  your  hair.  You 
would  be  a  picture  to  make  the  angels  weep, 
while  I  myself  wept  from  pure  joy.  Get  out." 


XLIII 

MADELEINE  had  forced  herself  to  eat 
a  light  dinner,  and  a  few  minutes  be 
fore  eleven  she  drank  a  cup  of  strong  coffee; 
but  when  she  entered  upon  the  sights  and 
sounds  and  stenches  of  Worth  Street  she  nearly 
fainted. 

The  night  was  hot.  The  narrow  crooked 
streets  of  the  Five  Points  were  lit  with  gas 
that  shone  dimly  through  the  grimy  panes  of 
the  lamp  posts  or  through  the  open  doors  of 
groggeries  and  fetid  shops.  The  gutter  was  a 
sewer.  Probably  not  one  of  those  dehumanized 
creatures  ever  bathed.  Some  of  the  children 
were  naked  and  all  looked  as  if  they  had  been 
dipped  in  the  gutters  and  tossed  out  to  dry.  The 
streets  swarmed  with  them;  and  with  men  and 
women  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and  forty. 
One  rarely  lived  longer  than  that  in  the  Five 
Points.  Some  were  shrieking  and  fighting, 
others  were  horribly  quiet.  Men  and  women 
lay  drunk  in  the  streets  or  hunched  against  the 

064 


SLEEPING    FIRES  265 

dripping  walls,  their  mouths  with  black  teeth 
or  no  teeth  hanging  loosely,  their  faces  purple 
or  pallid.  Screams  came  from  one  of  the  tene 
ments,  but  neither  of  the  two  detectives  escort 
ing  the  party  turned  his  head. 

Madeleine  had  imagined  nothing  like  this. 
Her  only  acquaintance  with  vice  had  been  in 
the  dens  and  dives  of  San  Francisco,  and  she  had 
pictured  something  of  the  same  sort  intensified. 
But  there  was  hardly  a  point  of  resemblance. 
San  Francisco  has  always  had  a  genius  for 
making  vice  picturesque.  The  outcasts  of  the 
rest  of  the  world  do  their  worst  and  let  it  go  at 
that.  Moreover,  in  San  Francisco  she  had 
never  seen  poverty.  There  was  work  for  all, 
there  were  no  beggars,  no  hungry  tattered 
children,  no  congested  districts.  Vice  might  be 
an  agreeable  resource  but  it  was  forced  on  no 
one;  and  always  the  atmosphere  of  its  indul 
gence  was  gay.  She  had  witnessed  scenes  of 
riotous  drunkenness,  but  there  was  something 
debonair  about  even  those  bent  upon  extermi 
nation,  either  of  an  antagonist  or  the  chandeliers 
and  glass-ware,  and  she  had  never  seen  men 
sodden  save  on  the  water  front.  Even  then 
they  were  often  grinning. 


266  SLEEPING    FIRES 

But  this  looked  like  plain  Hell  to  Madeleine, 
or  worse.  The  Hell  of  the  Bible  and  Dante  had 
a  lively  accompaniment  of  writhing  flames  and 
was  presumably  clean.  This  might  be  an 
underground  race  condemned  to  a  sordid  filthy 
and  living  death  for  unimaginable  crimes  of  a 
previous  existence.  Even  the  children  looked 
as  if  they  had  come  back  to  Earth  with  the  sins 
of  threescore  and  ten  stamped  upon  their 
weary  wicked  faces.  Madeleine's  strong  soul 
faltered,  and  she  grasped  Holt's  arm. 

"  Well,  you  see  for  yourself,"  he  said  un- 
sympathetically.  "  Better  go  back  and  let  me 
bring  him  to  you.  One  of  our  men  can  easily 
knock  him  out  —  " 

"  I'm  here  and  I  shall  go  on.  I'll  stay  all 
night  if  necessary." 

Lacey  looked  at  her  with  open  adoration  j  he 
had  fallen  truculently  in  love  with  her.  If 
Masters  no  longer  loved  her  he  felt  quite  equal 
to  killing  him,  although  with  no  dreams  for 
himself.  He  hoped  that  if  Masters  were  too 
far  gone  for  redemption  she  would  recognize 
the  fact  at  once,  forget  him,  and  find  happiness 
somewhere.  He  was  glad  on  the  whole  that 
she  had  come  to  Five  Points. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  267 

"  What's  the  program?  "  asked  one  of  the 
detectives,  kicking  a  sprawling  form  out  of  the 
way.  "  Do  you  know  where  he  hangs  out?  " 

"  No,"  said  Lacey.  "  He  seems  to  go  where 
fancy  leads.  We'll  have  to  go  from  one  grog- 
gery  to  another,  and  then  try  the  dance  houses, 
unless  they  pass  the  word  in  time.  The  police 
are  supposed  to  have  closed  them,  you  know." 

"Yes,  they  have!"  The  man's  hearty 
Irish  laugh  startled  these  wretched  creatures, 
unused  to  laughter,  and  they  forsook  their 
apathy  or  belligerence  for  a  moment  to  stare. 
"  They  simply  moved  to  the  back,  or  to  the 
cellar.  They  know  we  believe  in  lettin'  'em 
go  to  the  devil  their  own  way.  Might  as  well 
turn  in  here." 

They  entered  one  of  the  groggeries.  It  was 
a  large  room.  The  ceiling  was  low.  The  walls 
were  foul  with  the  accumulations  of  many 
years,  it  was  long  since  the  tables  had  been 
washed.  The  bar,  dripping  and  slimy,  looked 
as  if  about  to  fall  to  pieces,  and  the  drinks 
were  served  in  cracked  mugs.  The  bar-tender 
was  evidently  an  ex-prize-fighter,  but  the  loose 
skin,  empty  of  muscle,  hung  from  his  bare 
arms  in  folds.  The  air  was  dense  with  vile 


268  SLEEPING    FIRES 

tobacco  smoke,  adding  to  the  choice  assortment 
of  stenches  imported  from  without  and  con 
ferred  by  Time  within.  Men  and  women,  boys 
and  girls,  sat  at  the  tables  drinking,  or  lay  on 
the  floor.  There  they  would  remain  until 
their  drunken  stupor  wore  off,  when  they  would 
stagger  home  to  begin  a  new  day.  A  cracked 
fiddle  was  playing.  The  younger  people  and 
some  of  the  older  were  singing  in  various  keys. 
Many  were  drinking  solemnly  as  if  drinking 
were  a  ritual.  Others  were  grinning  with  evi 
dent  enjoyment  and  a  few  were  hilarious. 

The  party  attracted  little  general  attention. 
Investigating  travellers,  escorted  by  detec 
tives,  had  visited  the  Five  Points  more  than 
once,  curious  to  see  in  what  way  it  justified  its 
reputation  for  supremacy  over  the  East  End 
of  London  and  the  Montmartre  of  Paris;  and 
although  pockets  usually  were  picked,  no 
violence  was  offered  if  the  detectives  maintained 
a  bland  air  of  detachment.  They  did  not  even 
resent  the  cologne-drenched  handkerchiefs  the 
visitors  invariably  held  to  their  noses.  As  evil 
odors  meant  nothing  to  them,  they  probably 
mistook  the  gesture  for  modesty. 

Madeleine  preferred  her  smelling  salts,  and 


SLEEPING    FIRES  269 

at  Holt's  suggestion  had  wrapped  her  hand 
kerchief  about  the  gold  and  crystal  bottle.  But 
she  forgot  the  horrible  atmosphere  as  she  peered 
into  the  face  of  every  man  who  might  be  Mas 
ters.  She  wore  a  plain  black  dress  and  a  small 
black  hat,  but  her  beauty  was  difficult  to  ob 
scure.  Her  cheeks  were  white  and  her  brown 
eyes  had  lost  their  sparkle  long  since,  but  men 
not  too  drunk  to  notice  a  lovely  woman  or  her 
manifest  close  scrutiny,  not  only  leered  up  into 
her  face  but  would  have  jerked  her  down  be 
side  them  had  it  not  been  for  their  jealous 
partners  and  the  presence  of  the  detectives. 
There  was  a  rumor  abroad  that  the  new  City 
Administration  intended  to  seek  approval  if  not 
fame  by  cleaning  out  the  Five  Points,  tearing 
down  the  wretched  tenements  and  groggeries, 
and  scattering  its  denizens  -y  and  none  was  too 
reckless  not  to  be  on  his  guard  against  a  calam 
ity  which  would  deprive  him  not  only  of  all 
he  knew  of  pleasure  but  of  an  almost  impreg 
nable  refuge  after  crime. 

The  women,  bloated,  emaciated  with  disease, 
few  with  any  pretension  to  looks  or  finery, 
made  insulting  remarks  as  Madeleine  examined 
their  partners,  or  stared  at  her  in  a  sort  of  ter- 


270  SLEEPING    FIRES 

rible  wonder.  She  had  no  eyes  for  them. 
When  she  reached  the  end  of  the  room,  look 
ing  down  into  the  faces  of  the  men  she  was 
forced  to  step  over,  she  turned  and  methodi 
cally  continued  her  pilgrimage  up  another  lane 
between  the  tables. 

"Good  God!  "  exclaimed  Holt  to  Lacey. 
"There  he  is!  I  hoped  we  should  have  to 
visit  at  least  twenty  of  these  hells,  and  that 
she'd  faint  or  give  up." 

"  How  on  earth  can  you  distinguish  any  one 
in  this  infernal  smoke?  " 

"  Got  the  eyes  of  a  cat.  There  he  is  —  in 
that  corner  by  the  door.  God!  What  a  female 
thing  he's  got  with  him." 

"  Hope  it'll  cure  her  —  and  that  we  can 
get  out  of  this  pretty  soon.  Strange  things  are 
happening  within  me." 

There  was  an  uproar  on  the  other  side  of  the 
room.  One  man  had  made  up  his  mind  to  fol 
low  this  fair  visitor,  and  his  woman  was  beating 
him  in  the  face,  shrieking  her  curses. 

A  party  of  drunken  sailors  staggered  in, 
singing  uproariously,  and  almost  fell  over 
the  bar. 

But  not  a  sound  had  penetrated  Madeleine's 
unheeding  ears.  She  had  seen  Masters. 


SLEEPING    FIRES  271 

His  drab  had  not  taken  his  invitation  to  be 
deck  herself  too  literally,  nor  had  she  ventured 
into  Broadway.  But  after  returning  with  the 
rum  she  had  gone  as  far  as  Fell  Street  and 
bought  herself  all  the  tawdry  finery  her  funds 
would  command.  She  wore  it  with  tipsy  pride: 
a  pink  frock  of  slazy  silk  with  as  full  a  flowing 
skirt  as  any  on  Fifth  Avenue  during  the  hour 
of  promenade,  a  green  silk  mantle,  and  a  hat 
as  flat  as  a  plate  trimmed  with  faded  roses, 
soiled  streamers  hanging  down  over  her  im 
pudent  chignon.  She  was  attracting  far  more 
attention  than  the  simply  dressed  lady  from 
the  upper  world.  The  eyes  of  the  women 
in  her  vicinity  were  redder  with  envy  than  with 
liquor  and  they  cursed  her  shrilly.  One  of  the 
younger  women,  carried  away  by  a  sudden  dila 
tation  of  femininity,  made  a  dart  for  the 
fringed  mantle  with  obvious  intent  to  appro 
priate  it  by  force.  She  received  a  blow  in  the 
face  from  the  dauntless  owner  that  sent  her 
sprawling,  while  the  others  mingled  jeers  with 
their  curses. 

Masters  was  leaning  on  the  table,  supporting 
his  head  with  his  hands  and  laughing.  He  hud 
passed  the  stage  where  he  wanted  to  talk,  but 


272  SLEEPING    FIRES 

it  would  be  morning  before  his  brain  would  be 
completely  befuddled. 

Madeleine's  body  became  so  stiff  that  her 
heels  left  the  floor  and  she  stood  on  her  toes. 
Holt  and  Lacey  grasped  her  arms,  but  she  did 
not  sway  5  she  stood  staring  at  the  man  she  had 
come  for.  There  was  little  semblance  of  the 
polished,  groomed,  haughty  man  who  had  won 
her.  His  face  was  not  swollen  but  it  was  a  dark 
uniform  red  and  the  lines  cut  it  to  the  bone. 
The  slight  frown  he  had  always  worn  had 
deepened  to  an  ugly  scowl.  His  eyes  were 
injected  and  dull,  his  hair  was  turning  gray. 
His  mouth  that  he  had  held  in  such  firm  curves 
was  loose  and  his  teeth  stained.  She  re 
membered  how  his  teeth  had  flashed  when  he 
smiled,  the  extraordinary  brilliancy  of  his  gray 
eyes.  .  .  .  The  groggery  vanished  .  .  .  they 
were  sitting  before  the  fire  in  the  Occidental 
Hotel.  .  .  . 

The  daze  and  the  vision  lasted  only  a  mo 
ment.  She  disengaged  herself  from  her  escorts 
and  walked  rapidly  toward  the  table. 


XLIV 

MASTERS  did  not  recognize  her  at  once. 
Her  face  lay  buried  deep  in  his  mind, 
covered  with  the  debris  of  innumerable  ca 
rouses,  forgotten  women,  and  every  defiance 
he  had  been  able  to  fling  in  the  face  of 
the  civilization  he  had  been  made  to  adorn. 
As  she  stood  quite  still  looking  at  him  he  had  a 
confused  idea  that  she  was  a  Madonna,  and  his 
mind  wandered  to  churches  he  had  attended 
on  another  planet,  where  pretty  fashionable  wo 
men  had  commanded  his  escort.  Then  he  began 
to  laugh  again.  The  idea  of  a  Madonna  in  a 
groggery  of  the  Five  Points  was  more  amusing 
than  the  fracas  just  over. 

"  Langdon!"  she  said  imperiously.     "  Don't 
you  know  me?" 

Then  he  recognized  her,  but  he  believed  she 
was  a  ghost.  He  had  had  delirium  tremens 
twice,  and  this  no  doubt  was  a  new  form.  He 
gave  a  shaking  cry  and  shrank  back,  his  hands 
raised  with  the  palms  outward. 
» 273 


274  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  Curse  you!"  he  screamed.  "  It's  not  there. 
I  don't  see  you ! " 

He  extended  one  of  his  trembling  hands, 
still  with  his  horrified  eyes  on  the  apparition, 
filled  his  mug  from  a  bottle  and  drank  the 
liquor  off  with  a  gulp.  Then  he  flung  the  mug 
to  the  floor  and  staggered  to  his  feet,  his  eyes 
roving  to  the  men  behind  her.  "  What  does 
this  mean?"  he  stammered.  "Are  you  here 
or  aren't  you  —  dead  or  alive?" 

"  We're  here  all  right,"  said  Holt,  in  his 
matter-of-fact  voice.  "  And  this  really  is  she. 
She  has  come  for  you." 

"Come  for  me  —  for  me!"  His  roar  of 
laughter  was  drunken  but  its  note  was  even 
more  ironic  than  when  his  mirth  had  been  ex 
cited  by  the  mean  drama  of  the  women.  He 
fell  back  in  his  chair  for  he  was  unable  to  stand. 
"  Well,  go  back  where  you  came  from.  There's 
nothing  here  for  you.  Tout  passe,  tout  lasse, 
tout  casse.  .  .  .  Here  —  what's  your  name?" 
he  said  brutally  to  his  companion.  "  Go  and  get 
me  another  mug." 

But  the  young  woman,  who  had  been  gaping 
at  the  scene,  suddenly  recovered  herself.  She 
ran  round  the  table  and  flung  her  arms  about 


SLEEPING    FIRES  275 

his  neck.  "He's  my  man!"  she  shrieked. 
"  You  can't  have  him."  And  she  sputtered 
obscenities. 

Madeleine  reached  over,  tore  her  from 
Masters,  dragged  her  across  the  table,  whirled 
her  about,  and  flung  her  to  the  floor.  The 
neighborhood  shrieked  its  delight.  The  rest 
of  the  room  took  no  notice  of  them.  The 
drunken  sailors  were  still  singing  and  many 
took  up  the  refrain. 

"No,"  said  Madeleine.  "He's  mine  and 
I'll  have  him." 

"  Now  I  know  you  are  not  Madeleine,"  cried 
Masters  furiously,  and  trying  to  rise,  again. 
"  She  never  was  your  sort,  you  damned  whore, 
to  fight  over  a  man  in  a  groggery.  She  was 
a  lady  —  » 

"  She  was  also  a  woman,"  said  Madeleine 
coolly.  "  And  never  more  so  than  now.  You 
are  coming  with  me." 

"  I'll  see  you  in  hell  first." 

"  Well,  I'll  go  there  with  you  if  you  like. 
But  you'll  come  home  with  me  first." 

"  Even  if  you  were  she,  I've  no  use  for  you. 
I'd  forgotten  your  existence.  If  I'd  remem 
bered  you  at  all  it  was  to  curse  you.  I'll  never 


276  SLEEPING    FIRES 

—  never  —  "  His  voice  trailed  off  although  his 
eyes  still  held  their  look  of  hard  contempt. 

His  companion  had  pulled  herself  to  her 
feet  with  the  aid  of  an  empty  chair.  She  made 
a  sudden  dart  at  Madeleine,  her  claws  extended, 
recognizing  a  far  more  formidable  rival  than 
the  harlot  she  had  hammered  and  displaced. 
But  Madeleine  had  not  forgotten  to  give  her 
the  corner  of  an  eye.  She  caught  the  threat 
ening  arm  in  her  strong  hand,  twisted  it  nearly 
from  its  socket,  and  the  woman  with  a  wild 
shriek  of  pain  collapsed  once  more. 

Masters  began  to  laugh  again,  then  broke  off 
abruptly  and  began  to  shudder  violently.  He 
stared  as  if  the  nightmare  of  his  terrible  years 
were  racing  across  his  vision. 

"  Now,"  said  Madeleine.  "  I've  fought  for 
you  on  your  own  field  and  won  you.  You  are 
mine.  Come." 

"  I'll  come,"  he  mumbled.  He  tried  to  rise 
but  fell  back.  "  Pm  very  drunk,"  he  said 
apologetically.  "  Sorry." 

He  made  no  resistance  as  Holt  and  Lacey 
took  him  by  his  arms  and  supported  him  out  of 
the  groggery  and  out  of  the  Five  Points  to  a 
waiting  hack;  Madeleine  and  the  detectives 
forming  a  body-guard  in  the  rear. 


XLV 

IT  WAS  two  months  before  Madeleine  saw 
him  again.  He  was  installed  in  his  room, 
two  powerful  nurses  attended  him  day  and 
night,  and  Holt  slept  on  a  cot  near  the  bed. 
He  was  almost  ungovernable  at  first,  in  spite 
of  the  drugs  the  doctor  gave  him,  but  these  had 
their  effect  in  time;  and  then  the  tapering-off 
process  began,  combined  with  hotly  peppered 
soups  and  the  vegetable  most  inimical  to 
alcohol  -y  finally  food  in  increasing  quantity  to 
restore  his  depleted  vitality.  In  his  first  sane 
moment  he  had  made  Holt  promise  that  Made 
leine  should  not  see  him,  and  she  had  sent  word 
that  she  would  wait  until  he  sent  for  her. 

Madeleine  took  long  walks,  and  drives,  and 
read  in  the  Astor  Library.  She  also  replenished 
her  wardrobe.  The  color  came  back  to  her 
cheeks,  the  sparkle  to  her  eyes.  She  had  made 
all  her  plans.  The  house  in  Virginia  was  being 
renovated.  She  would  take  him  there  as  soon 

277 


278  SLEEPING    FIRES 

as  he  could  be  moved.  When  he  was  strong 
again  he  would  start  his  newspaper.  Holt  and 
Lacey  were  as  overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of 
being  his  assistant  editors  as  at  the  almost  un 
believable  rescue  of  Langdon  Masters. 

He  had  remained  in  bed  after  the  worst  was 
over,  sunk  in  torpor,  with  no  desire  to  leave  it 
or  to  live.  But  strength  gradually  returned  to 
his  wasted  frame,  the  day  nurse  was  dismissed, 
and  he  appeared  to  listen  when  Holt  talked  to 
him,  although  he  would  not  reply.  One  day, 
however,  when  he  believed  himself  to  be  alone, 
he  opened  his  eyes  and  stared  at  the  wall  covered 
with  his  books,  as  he  had  done  before  through 
half-closed  lids.  Then  his  gaze  wandered  to 
the  green  curtains.  But  his  mind  was  clear. 
He  was  visited  by  no  delusions.  This  was  not 
the  Occidental  Hotel. 

It  was  long  since  he  had  read  a  book!  He 
wondered,  with  his  first  symptom  of  returning 
interest  in  life,  if  he  was  strong  enough  to  cross 
the  room  and  find  one  of  his  favorite  volumes. 
But  as  he  raised  himself  on  his  elbow  Holt  bent 
over  him. 

"  What  is  it,  old  fellow?  " 

"  Those  books?     How  did  they  get  here?  " 


SLEEPING    FIRES  279 

"  Lacey  brought  them.     You  remember,  you 
left  them  in  the  Times  cellar." 
"Are  these  your  rooms?" 
"  No,  they  are  Madeleine  Talbot's." 
He  made  no  reply,  but  he  did  not  scowl  and 
turn  his  back  as^he  had  done  whenever  Holt 
had  tentatively  mentioned  her  name  before. 
The  sight  of  his  familiar  beloved  books  had 
softened  his  harsh  spirit,  and  the  hideous  chasm 
between  his  present  and  his  past  seemed  visibly 
shrinking.     His  tones,  however,  had  not  soft 
ened  when  he  asked  curtly  after  a  moment: 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  it  all?     Why  is 
she  here?     Is  Talbot  dead?" 
"  No,  he  divorced  her." 
"Divorced  her?     Madeleine?"    He  almost 
sat    upright.      Mrs.    Abbott    could    not    have 
looked  more  horrified.     "  Is  this  some  infernal 
joker" 

"  Are  you  strong  enough  to  hear  the  whole 
story?     I  warn  you  it  isn't  a  pretty  one.     But 
I've  promised  her  I  would  tell  you  —  " 
"  What  did  he  divorce  her  for?" 
"  Desertion.     There  was  worse  behind." 
"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  there  was  another 
man?     Til  break  your  neck.11 


280  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  There  was  no  other  man.  I'll  give  you  a 
few  drops  of  digitalis,  although  you  must  have 
the  heart  of  an  ox  —  " 

"  Give  me  a  drink.  I'm  sick  of  your  damn 
physic.  Don't  worry.  I'm  out  of  that,  and  I 
shan't  go  back." 

Holt  poured  him  out  a  small  quantity  of  old 
Bourbon  and  diluted  it  with  water.  Masters 
regarded  it  with  a  look  of  scorn  but  tossed  it  off. 

"  What  was  the  worse  behind?" 

"  When  she  heard  what  had  become  of 
you  —  she  got  it  out  of  me  —  she  deliberately 
made  a  drunkard  of  herself.  She  became  the 
scandal  of  the  town.  She  was  cast  out,  neck  and 
crop.  Every  friend  she  ever  had  cut  her, 
avoided  her  as  if  she  were  a  leper.  She  left 
the  doctor  and  lived  by  herself  in  one  room  on 
the  Plaza.  I  met  her  again  in  one  of  the  worst 
dives  in  San  Francisco  —  " 

"Stop!"  Masters'  voice  rose  to  a  scream. 
He  tried  to  get  out  of  bed  but  fell  back  on  the 
pillows.  "  You  are  a  liar  —  you  —  you  —  " 

"  You  shall  listen  whether  you  relish  the 
facts  or  not.  I  have  given  her  my  promise." 
And  he  told  the  story  in  all  its  abominable  de 
tails,  sparing  the  writhing  man  on  the  bed  noth- 


SLEEPING    FIRES  281 

ing.  He  drew  upon  his  imagination  for  scenes 
between  Madeleine  and  the  doctor,  of  whose 
misery  he  gave  a  harrowing  picture.  He  de 
scribed  the  episode  on  the  boat  after  her  drink 
ing  bout  at  Blazes',  of  the  futile  attempts  of 
Sally  Abbott  and  Talbot  to  cure  her.  He  gave 
graphic  and  hideous  pictures  of  the  dives  she 
had  frequented  alone,  the  risks  she  had  run  in 
the  most  vicious  resorts  on  Barbary  Coast.  Not 
until  he  had  seared  Masters'  brain  indelibly 
did  he  pass  to  Madeleine's  gradual  rise  from 
her  depths,  the  restoration  of  her  beauty  and 
charm  and  sanity.  It  was  when  she  was  almost 
herself  again  that  Talbot  had  offered  to  forgive 
her  and  take  her  to  Europe  to  live,  offering 
divorce  as  the  alternative. 

"  Of  course  she  accepted  the  divorce,"  Holt 
concluded.  "  That  meant  freedom  to  go  to 
you." 

Masters  had  grown  calm  by  degrees.  ei  I 
should  never  have  dreamed  even  Madeleine 
was  capable  of  that,"  he  said.  "  And  there 
was  a  time  when  I  believed  there  was  no  height 
to  which  she  could  not  soar.  She  is  a  great 
woman  and  a  great  lover,  and  I  am  no  more 
worthy  of  her  now  than  I  was  in  that  sink 


282    '         SLEEPING    FIRES 

where  you  found  me.  Nor  ever  shall  be.  Go 
out  and  bring  in  a  barber." 

Holt  laughed.  "  At  least  you  are  yourself 
again  and  I  fancy  she'll  ask  no  more  than  that. 
Shall  I  tell  her  you  will  see  her  in  an  hour?" 

«  Yes,  I'll  see  her.    God!     What  a  woman." 


XLVI 

MADELEINE  made  her  toilette  with 
trembling  hands,  nevertheless  with  no 
detail  neglected.  Her  beautiful  chestnut  hair 
was  softly  parted  and  arranged  in  a  mass  of 
graceful  curls  at  the  back  of  the  head.  She 
wore  a  house-gown  of  white  muslin  sprigged 
with  violets,  and  a  long  Marie  Antoinette  fichu, 
pale  green  and  diaphanous.  Where  it  crossed 
she  fastened  a  bunch  of  violets.  She  Jooked 
like  a  vision  of  spring,  a  grateful  vision  for  a 
sick  room. 

When  Holt  tapped  on  her  door  on  his  way 
out  the  second  time,  muttering  charactdristi- 
cally:  "Coast  clear.  All  serene,"  she  walked 
down  the  hall  with  nothing  of  the  primitive 
fierce  courage  she  had  exhibited  in  Five  Points. 
She  was  terrified  at  the  ordeal  before  her, 
afraid  of  appearing  sentimental  and  silly;  that 
he  would  find  her  less  beautiful  than  his 
memory  of  her,  or  gone  off  and  no  longer  de- 

283 


284  SLEEPING    FIRES 

sirable.  What  if  he  should  die  suddenly? 
Holt  had  told  her  of  his  agitation.  This  visit 
should  have  been  postponed  until  he  had  slept 
and  recuperated.  She  had  sent  him  word  to 
that  effect  but  he  had  replied  that  he  had  no 
intention  of  waiting. 

She  stood  still  for  a  few  moments  until  she 
felt  calmer,  then  turned  the  knob  of  Masters' 
door  and  walked  in. 

He  was  sitting  propped  up  in  bed  and  she  had 
an  agreeable  shock  of  surprise.  In  spite  of  all 
efforts  of  will  her  imagination  had  persisted  in 
picturing  him  with  a  violent  red  face  and  red 
injected  eyes,  a  loose  sardonic  mouth  and  lines 
like  scars.  His  face  was  very  pale,  his  eyes 
clear  and  bright,  his  hair  trimmed  in  its  old 
close  fashion,  his  mouth  grimly  set.  Although 
he  was  very  thin  the  lines  in  his  cheeks  were  less 
pronounced.  He  looked  years  older,  of  course, 
and  the  life  he  had  led  had  set  its  indelible  seal 
upon  him,  but  he  was  Langdon  Masters  again 
nevertheless. 

His  eyes  dilated  when  he  saw  her,  but  he 
smiled  whimsically. 

"  So  you  want  what  is  left  of  this  battered 
old  husk,  Madeleine?"  he  asked.  "  You  in  the 


SLEEPING    FIRES  285 

prime  of  your  beauty  and  your  youth!     Better 
think  it  over." 

She  smiled  a  little,  too. 

"  Do  you  mean  that?" 

"No,  I  don't!     Come  here!     Come  here!" 


XLVII 

IN  THE  winter  of  1878-79  Mrs.  Ballinger 
gave  a  luncheon  in  honor  of  Mrs.  McLane, 
who  had  arrived  in  San  Francisco  the  day  before 
after  a  long  visit  in  Europe.  The  city  was 
growing  toward  the  west,  but  Ballinger  House 
still  looked  like  an  outpost  on  its  solitary  hill 
and  was  almost  surrounded  by  a  grove  of 
eucalyptus  trees. 

Mrs.  Abbott  grumbled  as  she  always  did  at 
the  long  journey,  skirting  far  higher  hills,  and 
through  sand  dunes  still  unsubdued  by  man  and 
awaiting  the  first  dry  wind  of  summer  to  trans 
form  themselves  into  clouds  of  dust.  But  a 
sand  storm  would  not  have  kept  her  away. 
The  others  invited  were  her  daughter-in-law, 
who  had  met  Mrs.  McLane  at  Sacramento, 
Guadalupe  Hathaway,  now  Mrs.  Ogden  Bas- 
com,  Mrs.  Montgomery,  Mrs.  Yorba,  whose 
husband  had  recently  built  the  largest  and 
ugliest  house  in  San  Francisco,  perched  aloft 
on  Nob  Hill;  several  more  of  Mrs.  McLane's 

286 


SLEEPING    FIRES  287 

favorites,  old  and  young,  and  Maria  Groome, 
born  Ballinger,  now  a  proud  pillar  of  San 
Francisco  Society. 

The  dining-room  of  Ballinger  House  was 
long  and  narrow  and  from  its  bow  window 
commanded  a  view  of  the  Bay.  It  was  as  un 
comely  with  its  black  walnut  furniture  and 
brown  walls  as  the  rest  of  that  aristocratic  abode, 
across  whose  threshold  no  loose  fish  had  ever 
darted  j  but  its  dingy  walls  were  more  or  less 
concealed  by  paintings  of  the  martial  Virginia 
ancestors  of  Mrs.  Ballinger  and  her  husband, 
the  table  linen  had  been  woven  for  her  in  Ire 
land,  the  cut  glass  blown  for  her  in  England; 
the  fragile  china  came  from  Sevres,  and  the 
massive  silver  had  travelled  from  England  to 
Virginia  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  The  room 
may  have  been  ugly,  nay,  ponderous,  but  it  had 
an  air! 

The  women  who  graced  the  board  were 
dressed,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  in  the 
height  of  the  mode.  Save  Maria  Groome  each 
had  made  at  least  one  trip  to  Europe  and  left  her 
measurements  with  Worth.  Maria  did  not 
begin  her  pilgrimages  to  Europe  until  the 
eighties,  and  then  it  was  old  carved  furniture 


288  SLEEPING    FIRES 

she  brought  home;  dress  she  always  held  in  dis 
dain,  possibly  because  her  husband's  mistresses 
were  ever  attired  in  the  excess  of  the  fashion. 

Mrs.  Ballinger  was  now  in  her  fifties  but  still 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  in  San  Fran 
cisco  5  and  she  still  wore  shining  gray  gowns 
that  matched  the  bright  silver  of  her  hair  to  a 
shade.  Her  descendants  had  inherited  little  of 
her  beauty  (Alexina  Groome  as  yet  roaming 
space,  and,  no  doubt,  having  her  subtle  way 
with  ghosts  old  and  new). 

Mrs.  McLane  had  discharged  commissions 
for  every  woman  present  except  Maria,  and 
their  gowns  had  been  unpacked  on  the  moment, 
that  they  might  be  displayed  at  this  notable 
function.  They  wore  the  new  long  basque  and 
overskirt  made  of  cloth  or  cashmere,  combined 
with  satin,  velvet  or  brocade,  and  with  the  ex 
ception  of  Mrs.  Abbott  they  had  removed  their 
hats.  Chignons  had  disappeared.  Hair  was 
elaborately  dressed  at  the  back  or  arranged  in 
high  puffs  with  two  long  curls  suspended. 
Marguerite  Abbott  and  Annette  wore  the  new 
plaids.  Mrs.  Abbott  had  graduated  from  black 
satin  and  bugles  to  cloth,  but  her  bonnet  was 
of  jet. 


SLEEPING   FIRES  289 

% 

"Now!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  McLane,  who  had 
been  plied  with  eager  questions  from  oysters 
to  dessert.  "  I've  told  you  all  the  news  about 
the  fashions,  the  salon,  the  plays,  the  opera,  all 
the  scandals  of  Paris  I  can  remember  but  you'll 
never  guess  my  piece  de  resistance" 

"  What  —  what  —  "    Tea  was  forgotten. 

"  Well  —  as  you  know,  I  was  in  Berlin  dur 
ing  the  Congress  —  " 

"  Did  you  see  Bismark  —  Disraeli  —  " 

"  I  did  and  met  them.  But  they  are  not  of 
half  as  much  interest  to  you  as  some  one  else  — 
two  people  —  I  met." 

"But  who?" 

"  Can't  you  guess?" 

"I  know!"  cried  Guadalupe  Bascom. 
"  Langdon  and  Madeleine  Masters." 

"  No!  What  would  they  be  doing  in  Ber 
lin?"  demanded  Mrs.  Ballinger.  "  I  thought 
he  was  editing  some  paper  in  New  York." 

"  'Lupie  has  guessed  correctly.  It's  evident 
that  you  don't  keep  up.  \Ve're  just  the  same 
old  stick-in-the-muds.  'Lupie,  how  did  you 
guess?  I'll  wager  you  never  see  a  New  York 
newspaper  yourself." 

ik  Not  I.     But  one  does  hear  a  little  Eastern 


290  SLEEPING    FIRES 

news  now  and  again.  I  happen  to  know  that 
Masters  has  made  a  success  of  his  paper  and  it 
would  be  just  like  him  to  go  to  the  Congress 
of  Berlin.  What  was  he  doing  there?" 

"  Oh,  nothing  in  particular.  Merely  cor 
responding  with  his  paper,  and,  in  the  eyes  of 
many,  eclipsing  Blowitz." 

"WhoisBlowitz?" 

"  Mon  dieu!  Mon  dieu!  But  after  all 
London  is  farther  off  than  New  York,  and  I 
don't  fancy  you  read  the  Times  when  you  are 
there  —  which  is  briefly  and  seldom.  Paris  is 
our  Mecca.  Well,  Blowitz  —  " 

"But  Madeleine?  Madeleine?  It  is  about 
her  we  want  to  hear.  What  do  we  care  about 
tiresome  political  letters  in  solemn  old  news 
papers?  How  did  she  look?  How  dressed? 
Was  she  ahead  of  the  mode  as  ever?  Does  she 
look  much  older?  Does  she  show  what  she 
has  been  through  .  .  .  Oh,  Antoinette  — 
Mrs.  McLane  —  Mamma  —  how  tiresome  you 
are!  " 

Mrs.  Abbott  had  not  joined  in  this  chorus. 
She  had  emitted  a  series  of  grunts  —  no  less 
primitive  word  expressing  her  vocal  emissions 
when  disgusted.  She  now  had  four  chins,  her 


SLEEPING    FIRES  291 

eyes  were  alarmingly  protuberant,  and  her  face, 
what  with  the  tight  lacing  in  vogue,  much  good 
food  and  wine,  and  a  pious  disapproval  of 
powder  or  any  care  of  a  complexion  which 
should  remain  as  God  made  it,  was  of  a  deep 
mahogany  tint;  but  her  hand  still  held  the  iron 
rod,  and  if  its  veins  had  risen  its  muscles  had 
never  grown  flaccid. 

"Abominable!"  she  ejaculated  when  she 
could  make  herself  heard.  "  To  think  that  a 
man  and  a  woman*  like  that  should  be  rewarded 
by  fame  and  prosperity.  They  were  thoroughly 
bad  and  should  have  been  punished  accord- 
ingly." 

"  Oh,  no,  they  were  not  bad,  ma  chere,"  said 
Mrs.  McLane  lightly.  "  They  were  much  too 
good.  That  was  the  whole  trouble.  And  you 
must  admit  that  for  their  temporary  fall  from 
grace  they  were  sufficiently  punished,  poor 
things." 

"  Antoinette,  I  am  surprised."  Mrs.  Bal- 
linger  spoke  as  severely  as  Mrs.  Abbott.  She 
looked  less  the  Southerner  for  the  moment  than 
the  Puritan.  "  They  disgraced  both  themselves 
and  Society.  I  was  glad  to  hear  of  their  re 
form,  but  they  should  have  continued  to  live 


292  SLEEPING    FIRES 

in  sackcloth  for  the  rest  of  their  lives.  For 
such  to  enjoy  happiness  and  success  is  to  shake 
the  whole  social  structure,  and  it  is  a  blow  to 
the  fundamental  laws  of  religion  and  morality." 

"  But  perhaps  they  are  not  happy,  mamma." 
Maria  spoke  hopefully,  although  the  fates 
seemed  to  have  nothing  in  pickle  for  her  erratic 
mate.  "  Mrs.  McLane  has  not  yet  told  us  —  " 

"  Oh,  but  they  are!  Quite  the  happiest 
couple  I  have  ever  seen,  and  likely  to  remain 
so.  That's  a  case  of  true  love  if  ever  there 
was  one.  I  mislaid  my  skepticism  all  the  time 
I  was  in  Berlin  —  a  whole  month!" 

"Abominable!"  rumbled  Mrs.  Abbott. 
"And  when  I  think  of  poor  Howard  —  dead  of 
apoplexy  —  " 

"  Howard  ate  too  much,  was  too  fond  of 
Burgundy,  and  grew  fatter  every  year.  Made 
leine  could  reclaim  Masters,  but  she  never  had 
any  influence  over  Howard." 

"  Well,  she  could  have  waited  —  " 

"  Masters  was  pulled  up  in  the  nick  of  time. 
A  year  more  of  that  horrible  life  he  was  leading 
and  he  would  have  been  either  unreclaimable 
or  dead.  It  makes  me  believe  in  Fate  —  and 
I  am  a  good  Churchwoman." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  293 

"  It's  a  sad  world,"  commented  Mrs.  Bal- 
linger  with  a  sigh.  "  I  confess  I  don't  under 
stand  it.  When  I  think  of  Sally  —  " 

Mrs.  Montgomery,  a  good  kind  woman, 
whose  purse  was  always  open  to  her  less  fortu 
nate  friends,  shook  her  head.  "  I  do  not  like 
such  a  sequel.  I  agree  with  Alexina  and 
Charlotte.  They  disgraced  themselves  and  our 
proud  little  Society ;  they  should  have  been 
more  severely  punished.  Possibly  they  will  be." 

"  I  doubt  it,"  said  Mrs.  Bascom  drily.  "  And 
not  only  because  I  am  a  woman  of  the  world  and 
have  looked  at  life  with  both  eyes  open,  but 
because  Masters  had  success  in  him.  Pll  wager 
he's  had  his  troubles  all  in  one  great  landslide. 
And  Madeleine  was  born  to  be  some  man's 
poem.  The  luxe  binding  got  badly  torn  and 
stained,  but  no  doubt  she's  got  a  finer  one  than 
ever,  and  is  unchanged  —  or  even  improved  — 
inside." 

"  Oh,  do  let  me  get  in  a  word  edgeways," 
cried  young  Mrs.  Abbott.  "  Tell  me,  Mamma 
-what  does  Madeleine  look  like?  Has  she 
lost  her  beauty?  " 

"  She  looked  to  me  more  beautiful  than  ever. 
I'd  vow  Masters  thinks  so." 


294  SLEEPING    FIRES 

"  Has  she  wrinkles?     Lines?" 

"  Not  one.  Have  we  grown  old  since  she 
left  us?  It's  not  so  many  years  ago?" 

"  Oh,  I  know.  But  after  all  she  went 
through.  .  .  .  How  was  she  dressed?  " 

"What  are  her  favorite  colors?" 

"  Who  makes  her  gowns?" 

"  Has  she  as  much  elegance  and  style  as 
ever?" 

"  Did  she  get  her  mother's  jewels?  Did  she 
wear  them  in  Berlin?" 

"  Is  she  in  Society  there?  Is  her  grand  air 
as  noticeable  among  all  those  court  people  as 
it  was  here?" 

"  Oh,  mamma,  mamma,  you  are  so  tire 
some!" 

Mrs.  McLane  had  had  time  to  drink  a  second 
cup  of  tea. 

"  My  head  spins.  Where  shall  I  begin? 
The  gowns  she  wore  in  Berlin  were  made  at 
Worth's.  Where  else?  She  still  wears 
golden-brown,  and  amber,  and  green  —  some 
times  azure  —  blue  at  night.  She  looked  like 
a  fairy  queen  in  blue  gauze  and  diamond  stars 
in  her  hair  one  night  at  the  American  Lega 
tion  —  " 


SLEEPING    FIRES  295 

"  How  does  she  wear  her  hair?" 

"  There  she  is  not  so  much  a  la  mode.  She 
has  studied  her  own  style,  and  has  found  several 
ways  of  dressing  it  that  become  her  —  some 
times  in  a  low  coil,  almost  on  her  neck,  some 
times  on  top  of  her  head  in  a  braid  like  a  cor 
onet,  sometimes  in  a  soft  psyche  knot.  There 
never  was  anything  monotonous  about  Made 
leine." 

"  I'm  going  to  try  every  one  tomorrow. 
Has  she  any  children?" 

"  One.  She  left  him  at  their  place  in  Vir 
ginia.  I  saw  his  picture.  A  beauty,  of  course." 

Mrs.  Ballinger  raised  her  pencilled  eyebrows 
and  glanced  at  Maria.  Mrs.  Abbott  gave  a 
deep  rumbling  groan. 

"Poor  Howard!" 

"He  dreed  his  weird,"  said  Mrs.  McLane 
indifferently.  "  He  couldn't  help  it.  Neither 
could  Madeleine." 

"  Well,  I'd  like  to  hear  something  more 
about  Langdon  Masters,"  announced  Guada- 
lupe  Bascom.  "  That  is  if  you  have  all  satisfied 
your  curiosity  about  Madeleine's  clothes.  He 
is  the  one  man  I  never  could  twist  around  my 
finger  and  I've  never  forgotten  him.  How 


296  SLEEPING    FIRES 

does  he  look?  He  certainly  should  carry  some 
stamp  of  the  life  he  led." 

"  Oh,  he  looks  older,  of  course,  and  he  has 
deeper  lines  and  some  gray  hairs.  But  he's 
thin,  at  least.  His  figure  did  not  suffer  if  his 
face  did  —  somewhat.  He  looks  even  more 
interesting  —  at  least  women  would  think  so. 
You  know  we  good  women  always  have  a  fatal 
weakness  for  the  man  who  has  lived  too  much." 

"  Speak  for  yourself,  Antoinette."  Mrs. 
Ballinger  looked  like  an  effigy  of  virtue  in 
silver.  "  And  at  your  age  you  should  be 
ashamed  to  utter  such  a  sentiment  even  if  you 
felt  it." 

"  My  hair  may  be  as  white  as  yours,"  re 
joined  Mrs.  McLane  tartly.  "  But  I  remain 
a  woman,  and  for  that  reason  attract  men  to 
this  day." 

"  Is  Masters  as  brilliant  as  ever  —  in  con 
versation,  I  mean?  Is  he  gay?  Lively?" 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  found  him  gay,  and  I 
really  saw  very  little  of  him  except  at  functions. 
He  was  very  busy.  But  Mr.  McLane  was  with 
him  a  good  deal,  and  said  that  although  he  was 
rather  grim  and  quiet  at  times,  at  others  he  was 
as  brilliant  as  his  letters." 


SLEEPING    FIRES  297 

"  Does  he  drink  at  all,  or  is  he  forced  to  be 
a  teetotaller?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it.  He  drinks  at  table  as 
others  doj  no  more,  no  less." 

"  Then  he  is  cured,"  said  Mrs.  Bascom  con 
tentedly.  "  Well,  I  for  one  am  glad  that  it's  all 
right.  Still,  if  he  had  fallen  in  love  with  me 
he  would  have  remained  an  eminent  citizen  — 
without  a  hideous  interval  he  hardly  can  care 
to  recall  —  and  become  the  greatest  editor  in 
California.  Have  they  any  social  position  in 
New  York?" 

"Probably.  I  did  not  ask.  They  hardly 
looked  like  outcasts.  You  must  remember 
their  story  is  wholly  unknown  in  fashionable 
New  York.  Scarcely  any  one  here  knows  any 
one  in  New  York  Society  j  or  has  time  for  it 
when  passing  through.  .  .  .  But  I  don't  fancy 
they  care  particularly  for  Society.  In  Berlin, 
whenever  it  was  possible,  they  went  off  by  them 
selves.  But  of  course  it  was  necessary  for  both 
to  go  in  Society  there,  and  she  must  have  been 
able  to  help  him  a  good  deal." 

"European  Society!  I  suppose  she'll  be 
presented  to  the  Queen  of  England  next!  — 
But  no!  Thank  heaven  she  can't  be.  Good 


298  SLEEPING    FIRES 

Queen  Victoria  is  as  rigid  about  divorce  as  we 
are.  Nor  shall  she  ever  cross  my  threshold  if 
she  returns  here."  And  Mrs.  Abbott  scalded 
herself  with  her  third  cup  of  tea  and  emitted 
terrible  sounds. 

Mrs.  Yorba,  a  tall,  spare,  severe-looking 
woman,  who  had  taught  school  in  New  Eng 
land  in  her  youth,  and  never  even  powdered 
her  nose,  spoke  for  the  first  time.  Her  tones 
were  slow  and  portentious,  as  became  one  who, 
owing  to  her  unfortunate  nativity,  had  sailed 
slowly  into  this  castellated  harbor,  albeit  on  her 
husband's  golden  ship. 

"  We  may  no  longer  have  it  in  our  power 
to  punish  Mrs.  Langdon  Masters,"  she  said. 
"  But  at  least  we  shall  punish  others  who  vio 
late  our  code,  even  as  we  have  done  in  the  past. 
San  Francisco  Society  shall  always  be  a  model 
for  the  rest  of  the  world." 

"I  hope  so!"  cried  Mrs.  McLane.  "But 
the  world  has  a  queer  fashion  of  changing  and 
moving." 

Mrs.  Ballinger  rose.  "  I  have  no  misgivings 
for  the  future  of  our  Society,  Antoinette 
McLane.  Our  grandchildren  will  uphold  the 
traditions  we  have  created,  for  our  children  will 


SLEEPING    FIRES  299 

pass  on  to  them  our  own  immutable  laws.  Shall 
we  go  into  the  front  parlor?  I  do  so  want  to 
show  it  to  you.  I  have  a  new  set  of  blue  satin 
damask  and  a  crystal  chandelier." 


THE    END 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

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